It's Already Over
by wolfteam000
Summary: Sasuke - lead singer of Sharingan. He likes Sakura but she's dating Itachi. However, Sasuke wants revenge against Itachi and will stop at nothing to kill him closely follows manga , will Sakura stay with Itachi or go with Sasuke? Will Sasuke survive?
1. New Kid in Town

Don't own Naruto

**Don't own Naruto. If I did, Itachi and Jiraiya would still be alive and Sasuke would be with Sakura. Sadly, that is not the case.**

**Neither do I own the song Already Over, it belongs to Red**

**This is a fan fic okay? I own nothing but the plot. Geeez……..yes and if I get the guitar things wrong, sorry about that ok? I don't play the guitar.**

**And yes, this IS A SASUSAKU fic, but Sakura will come out in chapter 2 or 3 ok?**

**New Kid in Town**

A silver BMW speed motorbike pulled up at the car park of Konoha High. A pair of white Nike touched the ground as the motor cyclists got off his bike. Fingerless gloved hands reached up to remove his helmet, which was blue and had orange red flames streaking across it. Tucking it under his arm, the young man of 16 surveyed his surroundings. Narrowing his eyes slightly at the school building in front of him, he sighed and locked his bike. Slipping off his black gloves, he closed his eyes briefly before entering the building.

"So this is the new school."

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"Hey Kiba!" A loud blonde bounded over excitedly to his friend. Slapping a hand onto Kiba's shoulder, he asked loudly, "Are we having band practice today?"

Kiba glanced at Naruto before returning back to his locker, "Sorry Naruto, we can't."

"What!?" Naruto grabbed Kiba by the shoulders and turned him so that he was facing him. "What do you mean there's no band practice? We also have one on Wednesday!"

"Didn't you know? Gaara's quit the band so as to focus on football."

Both heads turned towards the speaker. Slouched against the lockers was a boy with his hair tied up in a ponytail and sticking up into the air. Folding his arms, he yawned and muttered, "Troublesome."

Kiba punched Naruto on the arm.

"Yeah well, now we're missing a lead singer, so we can't have band practice until we find a replacement," he said with a sympathetic grin.

Rubbing his arm gingerly, the blue eyed boy pouted. Suddenly, he looked up and grabbed Kiba, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I know! We can hold auditions for a lead singer! We can do it today!"

Kiba looked uncertainly at Shikamaru. Seeing the other boy shrug wearily, he turned to the left and yelled, "Hey Neji!"

A lavender eyed boy with long hair walked over slowly. Looking quizzically at his friend, he folded his arms.

Kiba slammed his locker shut and said, "Naruto wants to hold auditions for a lead singer today in place of band practice. You ok with that?"

Receiving a nod, Kiba smiled. "Ok, spread the word fellas. My place after school, ok?"

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Stretching out a hand, the new student turned the doorknob and entered the classroom.

Nobody seemed to notice and he slipped into the corner seat at the back of the classroom. Running a hand through his raven hair, he took out a pen and a notebook and started writing.

A loud crash sounded. Head snapping towards the direction of the sound, he saw that a tall, blonde had tripped over two desks and smashed into the teacher's desk.

A red head grabbed the blonde's hand and hoisted him up. They exchanged words briefly and both went to grab their seats. Three other boys also followed him and started towards the back corner

The brown haired boy with red fang shaped tattoos on his face placed his palms onto the new student's desk.

"You're in my seat, buddy. Mind moving?"

The other two had sat in front of him while the blonde had taken the seat next to him. Onyx eyes locked onto brown, mud ones.

"Sorry, but I like it here."

Kiba growled slightly. "Who the heck do you think you are? You're new around here, aren't you?"

The raven head stood up slowly. "Yes, I'm new around here. Got a problem?"

Kiba opened his mouth to argue but was stopped by Naruto.

The blonde placed his hand on Kiba's chest and pushed him backwards slightly.

"Give it a rest Kiba. He's new."

Kiba narrowed his eyes threateningly and stomped off, growling.

The blonde let out a breath as he sat back down. He turned towards his partner and said, "You're lucky you know? Kiba can get very violent."

The raven haired boy looked at him disinterestedly. "Hn."

Naruto stared at him as he resumed writing. He took this opportunity to take a closer look at the new kid. He had raven hair sticking upwards at the back but had locks to frame his face. He was wearing a tight fitting white T-shirt with a red and white fan on the back and loose, baggy blue jeans.

Peering over his shoulder, Naruto squinted to read what the other was writing.

His eyes widened slightly, "Woah, are you writing lyrics?"

The boy stiffened and nodded curtly.

Naruto leaned back against the wall, "Those are pretty cool lyrics. Hey, I know! My band needs a lead singer and auditions are today. Why don't you come over to try out?"

A shred of interest entered the boy's onyx eyes.

Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Awesome! My name's Naruto by the way, what's yours?"

Turning back to his writing, the boy said in a low, smooth voice that made the girls sitting next to him swoon, "My name's Sasuke."

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Shikamaru closed his eyes. "This is such a drag. All the candidates are either bad at singing or cannot read or write music."

Neji turned his cool eyes towards the keyboard player. "I thought there was going to be "a really cool guy", Naruto."

Naruto leaned back against the sofa. "I think he's coming. Don't worry, you've still got 10 more candidates to go through."

Neji groaned.

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The sound of gravel could be heard in the practice room. All four members looked out of the window curiously.

Kiba whistled, "That's one nice bike man. Who is this guy Naruto? He'd better be good considering how late he is."

However, Kiba's look of excitement turned to annoyance as the cyclist removed his helmet.

"Damn it Naruto, did you _have_ to ask _him_?"

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Sasuke walked into the practice room slowly.

In a soft voice, he said, "Sorry I'm late, I had to go back home to get my guitar."

Setting down his instrument, he unzipped the case and took out a blue Fender with flames on it just like his helmet.

Plugging the guitar into the amplifier, he said in a clipped voice, "This is a song that I wrote today."

Taking a deep breath, he strummed the chords and started to sing.

"You never go,

You're always here, suffocating me.

Under my skin, I cannot run away.

Fading slowly"

The band members looked at awe as he sang the rock song. His voice was deep and smooth and gentle. The music was soothing and quite catchy.

Sasuke's voice switched to harsher tones as he sang the higher notes of the chorus.

"I'd get it onto you

Letting go of me

Reaching as I fall

I know it's already over now

Nothing left to lose

Loving you again

I know it's already over

Already over now"

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At the end of the song, Sasuke opened his eyes to see the others staring at him in amazement.

Naruto was gaping at him open mouthed.

"Wow, I don't think I've heard anything like this. Even Gaara couldn't sing like that. You're definitely in!"

The corners of Sasuke's lips twitched upwards slightly as he saw that even Kiba looked impressed.

Neji stood up slowly. "Good, band practice here every Wednesday after school for two hours."

Sasuke nodded.

Shikamaru yawned and held Sasuke back, "Before you go, just a brief introduction."

Pointing at Naruto, he said, "Naruto's our electric guitarist and vocal backup. Neji's our bass guitarist and Kiba's our drummer. I'm the DJ and synthesizer. Are you planning on playing your bass while singing?"

Sasuke nodded. "I would also like to be the songwriter."

The other members nodded in agreement.

Naruto beamed, "Of course, after your song, you're definitely our songwriter and singer."

Sasuke picked up his bass guitar and case. "I'll see you at school then."

The blonde laughed, "Will do Sasuke. I'll also introduce you to my friend tomorrow. She's a big fan of Sabaku."

Sasuke stared at Naruto incredulously. "Sabaku? Our band name is Sabaku?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, Gaara picked it. We let our singer pick the name as long as everyone agrees on it in the end."

Sasuke smirked. "Well then, I'm changing it."

"Ok…"

Sasuke smirked even broader and Naruto could swear that he could see a red gleam in the raven haired boy's eyes. "Our band is now called Sharingan."


	2. Sooner or Later

Don't own Naruto, only plot

**Don't own Naruto, only plot.**** I don't own Sooner of Later either, it belongs to Breaking Benjamin**

**Sooner or Later**

Sasuke leaned back against his chair and placed both his feet on the table. Naruto grinned at him sheepishly before asking, "So Sasuke, that sign on your back. I swear I've seen it somewhere. What is it?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer but instead both boys found themselves being tackled to the ground by a hoard of fangirls.

Squeals of admiration could be hear everywhere as cries of "Naruto-kun" and "Sasuke-kun" rang out.

Shoving everyone out of the way, both boys rushed out of the classroom, gasping for air, with thirty girls on their tails.

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(After school)

Sasuke fitted the microphone onto its stand before slinging his guitar over his shoulder. Adjusting the strap, he asked the other, "I've finished two new songs. Shall we try out the first one and leave the other for later?"

Kiba nodded and grinned, "Yeah, let's see what you got."

The raven smirked his trademark smirk and nodded at the others.

1, 2, 3, 4…

The drums started along with the bass as the electric guitar worked its way into the song. Gradually, the bass faded away as the guitar took over. Leaning forward with his eyes closed, Sasuke abandoned his guitar and grabbed the mike with both hands. Softly, he started.

"I want a normal life

just like a new born child

I am a lover hater

I am an instigator

You are an oversight

Don't try to compromise

I'll learn to love to hate it

I am not integrated"

Naruto edged closer to his mike as well as he harmonised with Sasuke's voice. The effect created was perfect. With Sasuke's low smooth tone combined with Naruto's higher and slightly husky tone, it sounded as if they had blended their voices together.

"Just call my name

You'll be okay

Your scream is burning through my veins

Sooner or later you're gonna hate it

Go ahead and throw your life away

Driving me under, leaving me out there

Go ahead and throw your life away"

Sasuke opened his eyes as he noticed that it had all gone quiet.

Shikamaru smiled. "That was good. What's curious though is that your music style changes all the time."

Sasuke nodded. "My songs depend on my mood."

Neji nodded in understanding. "Of course. I would say that you wrote this song when you were reminiscing, weren't you?" He continued when he noticed that Sasuke looked slightly annoyed. "Anyway guys, we have a gig coming up. We're going to perform at the school show. Basically, we're the entertainment while the audience dances in the "disco", which is actually our gym."

Naruto looked up, "So, it's like a party."

"All right!" Kiba punched the air excitedly. "When's it gonna be?"

Neji smiled. "Tomorrow."

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A pink haired girl rounded the corner at top speed as she glanced at her watch.

"Oh man, I'm late again. Let's hope Kurenai sensei isn't there yet."

Running straight towards the history department, she smashed through the doors and turned the corner – only to collide with a boy head on.

Both persons fell backwards. The girl dropped all her books while the boy dropped his Oakley black backpack but managed to hold onto his guitar case.

"Woah, watch where you're going," muttered the boy in a gruff voice.

The girl looked up indignantly.

"What! You bumped into me!"

The boy stood up, brushed aside his hair and picked up his backpack. Crouching down, he gathered the girl's books and offered an outstretched hand to the girl. The girl took it and was pulled up.

The boy grunted. "Whatever."

The girl looked up angrily but stopped. Throwing up her hands in the air, she responded with a cry.

"Ugh, I have to go to class anyway," she said before she stomped off.

Sasuke looked after her as she disappeared around another corner. He couldn't help being mesmerized by those stunning green eyes of hers and her pink hair. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he stared dreamily in the direction that the girl had disappeared.

'That girl is special, I can feel it,' he mused. 'Plus she's got one hot body.'

Turning around, he continued towards his class. He had only managed a few steps before realization hit him.

'Oh man, I'm not interested in a girl, am I?'

Sasuke slapped himself mentally.

Sasuke Uchiha, most wanted male in the entire school and human ice cube when dealing with girls, was actually falling for a girl. And a pink haired, green eyed one.

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Sakura Haruno stomped into her classroom. Plonking down on her seat next to her best friend, Ino Yamanaka, she sighed and placed her head on her table.

"You ok, Sakura?" asked Ino hesitantly.

The rosette sat up straight as she took out her books.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I just bumped, and I mean literally bumped, into this guy just now. He was arrogant and annoying."

Ino's eyes brightened. "Is he hot?"

Sakura looked at Ino sceptically. "I'll admit he wasn't half bad. Though of course, my boyfriend is much better looking."

Ino grinned, "Of course. By the way, are you going to the show tonight? Sabaku's playing tonight."

Sakura's eyes widened. "No way! I'm definitely going then. Wow!" She looked at Ino, "But Gaara's gone, you think there's still that good?"

Ino shrugged. "Well, go find out tonight then."

Sakura grinned, "Yeah, but I'll ask Naruto a bit later about his new lead singer. I want to be sure that Sabaku is still as good as before."

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"WHAT!"

Naruto cowered behind Neji, who remained stoic as ever, as Sakura tugged at her hair anxiously.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT CALLED SABAKU ANY MORE!"

Naruto gulped before answering in a weak voice.

"Well, I was going to say that we're now called Sharingan. Sasuke picked the name."

Sakura glared at Naruto. "Who's Sasuke, pray tell?"

Naruto glanced nervously at Neji. Neji glared back at him before answering a deadpan voice. "He's Gaara's replacement, or as we call it, our _lead singer_."

Sakura's features softened. "Well, is he as good as Gaara?"

Neji smirked. "Why don't you find out tonight? We'll be waiting to see you on the dance floor. We won't perform if we don't see you."

Sakura smiled.

"Don't worry about it Neji. I have to see how good this _Sasuke_ is. I'm not going to miss it for the world."

Naruto positively beamed. "Yeah, and I can introduce you guys. I promised him!"

The rosette laughed lightly as she waved to the two boys. "See you tonight then!"


	3. On the Dance Floor

Don't own Naruto, just the plot ok

**Don't own Naruto, just the plot ok? This is fan fiction after all. Neither do I own the song here, they belong to their respective artists****, Timbaland in this case.**

**On the Dance Floor**

Shikamaru yelled into his microphone as he sat behind his DJ equipment and synthesizers.

"All right people! Let's make this a wild party!" He said as he selected a song from his list and played it.

The crowd cheered as they recognized it as the tune of "Stronger" by Kanye West and nearly all of them starting dancing on the dance floor as the multi coloured lights flashed randomly in the room.

Sakura entered through the front door and looked around. Her eyes sparkled excitedly as she recognized the music and she immediately walked over to the dance floor and started dancing. Slowly, the boys around her started to notice and many started to dance with or around her. Sakura in response flirted with the boys one after the other.

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Naruto beamed at Sasuke in the wings of the stage.

"We'll be up in about three minutes! Oh man, this is awesome!" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke peaked out and saw everyone dancing enthusiastically. He noticed that there was a large crowd concentrated in the middle as well. Eyes slowly moving from one face to another, he gasped as he recognized the face of a certain pink haired girl. He felt his breath hitch in his throat as his heart fluttered slightly. Sasuke rubbed his neck as he composed himself, reverting back to his poker faced, expressionless demeanour. However, he could not resist another glance in the girl's direction. He could see that she was wearing a red, sleeveless top, a short black skirt that managed to show off her slender legs and long black boots. Sasuke grimaced as he felt himself go hot in the face and he mentally slapped himself.

'Get a grip on yourself, Sasuke. Concentrate on tonight's performance,' he scolded himself mentally.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke had gone slightly tense and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Sasuke folded his arms and leaned against the wall. Casually, he asked in an offhand manner.

"What's up with all the guys crowding around that girl?"

Naruto glanced at the crowd. Spotting the aforementioned girl, he chuckled.

"Oh, that's Sakura. She's the friend I was going to introduce you to, remember? Yeah, she's the hottest and most popular girl in school, that's why all the guys are trying to hook up with her," grinning slyly at Sasuke, he continued. "Unfortunately, she's taken already, although she loves flirting with other guys when her boyfriend's not around. Better luck next time Sasuke."

The raven haired teen glared at the blond. "I don't like her, Uzumaki."

The blonde clutched his head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, you still haven't told me your last name! That's not fair! You know mine!"

Sasuke uttered his infamous monosyllable. "Hn. Life's not fair Naruto, deal with it."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue some more but was thankfully (for Sasuke) cut off by Kiba.

"We're on now guys. Let's roll!"

The band slipped onto stage silently and without the audience knowing. As the song drew to a close, the stage lights went up. The crowd roared as they noticed the band. Everyone stopped dancing and cheered as Naruto started speaking.

"How are you today?!"

The roar of the crowd brought another smile to Naruto's face.

"We're going to be playing loads of hits for you tonight! But first, let me introduce the band! We are now called Sharingan and we have a new lead singer now! People! Give it up for Sasuke!"

Naruto's words did not seem to reach Sasuke's brain. All he could see was the rosette slowly turn around. He could see the way her eyes widened as she saw Sharingan and he could feel his breathing quicken and become shallower. He closed his eyes quickly and breathed deeply, trying desperately to calm down.

Opening his eyes, he could see that the rosette was now conversing with her blonde friend. Tearing his eyes away from the glorious sight, he focused on what Naruto was saying.

"All right! Let's get it started now!"

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Sakura pulled Ino over and leaned over. Whispering into her ear, Sakura hissed, "Oh man, that lead singer's the guy who bumped into me. You know, the arrogant prick I told you about?"

Ino's eyes were sparkling. "Sakura! You didn't tell me he was this hot!"

Sakura rubbed her forehead. "Great, the guy that I dislike the most is the lead singer of my favourite band. Brilliant."

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Sasuke looked up at the crowd. Taking a deep breath, he spoke softly into the microphone.

"This is a new song that I wrote. We've only practised this once, so most of it will be improvised, but I hope you like it."

Sasuke turned around and nodded at the others, who were however looking very confused. He mouthed the song that they were going to sing and turned back to face the crowd.

Smirking, he said. "This song," Sasuke turned his gaze towards Sakura. Staring straight into her green eyes, he smirked even more broadly before continuing. "is called The Way I Are."

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As Shikamaru remixed the beginning with his synthesizers, Sasuke rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, exposing slender but muscular arms. There were tattoos of black flames along the whole of his left arm starting from his wrist and they seemed to ripple and flicker like real flames as Sasuke flexed his muscles. He pulled down his blue jeans slightly before adjusting his guitar. Smirking slightly, he stared straight at Sakura as he started playing the chords of the guitar as he sang.

"I ain't got no money

I ain't got no car to take you on a date

I can't even buy you flowers

But together we can be the perfect soul mates

Talk to me girl"

Sakura hadn't started dancing yet. She couldn't help find herself being mesmerized by Sasuke's voice and she found the song strangely appealing. As she continued to listen, she slowly forgot about everything and just started to dance as if she was on fire.

Sasuke too closed his eyes and he found himself slowly losing himself to the song.

"Oh, baby, it's alright now, you ain't gotta flaunt for me

If we go and touch, you can still touch my love, it's free

We can work without the perks just you and me

Thug it out 'til we get it right"

Sasuke opened his eyes and saw that Sakura was dancing with a red headed boy who was, if remembered correctly, called Gaara and who happened to be the ex lead singer of Sharingan, or as they called it, Sabaku.

"I ain't got no Visa

I ain't got no Red American Express

We can't go nowhere exotic

It don't matter 'cause I'm the one that loves you best

Talk to me girl"

Sakura closed her eyes as she allowed instinct to take over her senses. Slowly, she pressed backwards against her partner as she swayed her hips. Flipping back her hair, she slid downwards and brushed against Gaara's trousers with her hands. Opening her startling green eyes, she turned around to face her partner and leaned forward so close that their lips were almost touching. As Gaara made to move forward, Sakura turned around and walked forward until she was in the centre of the dance floor, right underneath the disco ball. Gaara smiled slightly as he realized that the girl was teasing him.

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Sasuke gave a start as he heard Naruto's voice suddenly boom in his ear. Turning down the volume of his ear piece, he glared at the blonde as Naruto said, "Wow, I take it you're singing this song because you like someone?"

Sasuke slammed a few notes from his guitar before growling in annoyance, "What makes you think that?"

Kiba's voice cut across Naruto's. "The fact that your songs depend on your mood and because your face is going red."

Sasuke glared at the drummer. "I don't like anyone."

Naruto smirked as he glanced knowingly at Kiba as Sasuke resumed singing.


	4. With Me

Yubikara kobore ochita kagayaki no naka ima mo

**Don't own Naruto…only plot (and the lyrics are translated by babelfish)**

**Note: the line "pools which he could drink from and never be thirsty again" and "falling into those bottomless pits" is a line from a DBZ fanfic about Vegeta and Bulma. The sentence is not exactly the same although similar. I loved the way it was phrased and so decided to write it, but because I read it ages ago, I can't remember the exact wording. I don't want to copy the lines but I want to write out a similar line.**

**Don't own the song either, belongs to Nickelback**

**With Me**

Clearing his throat, Sasuke said in a husky voice, "Ok guys, we're going to take a ten minute break, we'll see you around then."

Shikamaru set off the CD player as the crowd continued dancing. The band walked off stage and headed outside the gym. Grabbing a few bottles of water, they gulped it down as they wiped off the sweat from their faces. Kiba slammed against the wall and slid downwards until he was sitting on the ground. Grinning, he said, "Yeah, gigs are always hard work."

Sasuke ignored him and started to walk towards the door.

"Hey Sasuke, where are you going man?"

Glancing backwards briefly, he muttered, "I need some air to cool off." Stalking out the door, he walked out onto the school campus.

Plopping down onto the grass, he unbuttoned his shirt and allowed the cool breeze to creep across his skin as he lay on his back and stared up into the sky, into the sky and at the stars.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, relishing the smell of the fresh air and the damp grass. As he lay there, his thoughts drifted back to the pink haired girl who had so successfully managed to intrigue and capture his attention.

Everything about her made Sasuke's heart jump. The way she moved, the way her hair fell across her face, the way her eyes sparkled, the way she danced, the way she smiled. Just everything, everything about her. Sighing, Sasuke smirked slightly as he pictured her dancing with him, imagining the way she would press against him and "move". He frowned though as he remembered what Naruto had told him.

"She's taken though."

"She likes to flirt with other guys when her boyfriend's not around."

Growling under his breath, he cursed the lucky man with whom Sakura was with. As long as he was with her, Sasuke knew that Sakura would never have feelings for him.

His eyebrow twitched ever so slightly as the sound of footsteps walking over the crisp grass alerted him. Opening his eyes, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Slowly pushing himself up, he turned around and found himself face to face with no one other than, Sakura Haruno.

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Sakura could only stare at Sasuke. Her eyes roamed over his muscular body, taking in the breathtaking sight of his well formed six pack. She swallowed as she noticed his sweat covered torso shimmering slightly under the light of the moon, with each muscle bearing an uncanny resemblance to their sculpted marble counterpart. Sakura couldn't help but admit that he was very handsome and fit. He was in fact, a living, breathing Adonis.

Sakura looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze. She was immediately captured by his onyx eyes, feeling as if she was falling into those bottomless pits. Unknown to her, Sasuke was feeling exactly the same, except that he felt as if he was drowning in those green pools of hers. Pools which he could drink from and never be thirsty again.

Sasuke grunted. "What?"

Sakura decided to ignore his rudeness and instead said, "I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Sakura Haruno."

"Sasuke."

Sakura blushed slightly, "You're songs aren't half bad for an arrogant prick like you."

The boy grunted in thanks but narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Stuffing his hand in his pockets, he walked back in the direction of the gym.

Sakura followed him. Gazing curiously at his tattooed arm, she asked. "What's with the tattoos?"

Sasuke visibly stiffened. In a strained voice, he replied, "I got them when my brother ran away from home. They remind me of my duty to find him."

Sakura looked at him in pity. "What happened?"

Sasuke opened the door for Sakura.

"He ran away from home when he found out my parents were part of the drug dealing ring. Next day, my parents had disappeared, never to be seen again, just like him. I've been searching for my parents and my brother for eight years."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by an excited Naruto.

"C'mon Sasuke, we're on now!"

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"Thank you very much for coming! We'll see you around!"

It was the end of the disco and the crowd had already departed. Catching a glimpse of Sakura from the corner of his eye, Sasuke darted forward. Closing a hand around her wrist, he pulled her over.

"What…" Sakura spluttered.

Sasuke stared at her coolly. "Where do you live?"

"What?"

"I said, where do you live?"

"Crescent Avenue."

"Good, I'll give you a lift."

"What?"

"Are you deaf? I said I'll give you a lift."

Sasuke turned around and walked to fetch his bike, leaving Sakura staring at him dumbfounded.

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By the time Sakura managed to get to out of the school building and to the car park, she could see that Sasuke was already waiting for her besides his motorcycle. Tossing a helmet to her, Sasuke slipped on black fingerless gloves and slung a leg over his bike. Gesturing at the rosette to sit behind him, Sasuke revved up his engine.

Sakura slipped into the seat behind him and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's waist to avoid falling off. As Sasuke pushed off, Sakura couldn't help think about what she had gotten herself into.

As the wind whipped through their hair, Sasuke turned on the music player. Music boomed out as Sasuke whizzed between cars on the street.

"_Fathers hands were lined with dirt_

_From long days in the field_

_And mothers hands are serving meals_

_In a café on Main Street_

_With mouths to feed_

_Just trying to keep clothing on our backs_

_And all I hear about is_

_And how it's so bad, it's so bad_

_It's too bad, it's too bad_

_Too late, so wrong, so long_

_It's too bad that we had no time to rewind_

_Let's walk, let's talk_

_Let's talk"_

Sasuke's bike screeched to a halt as the green light turned red. He removed his helmet and shook out his hair. Stuffing the helmet into his backpack, he glanced at Sakura before turning back to face the front. With brows knitted together in confusion, he tried to comprehend the feeling that he was experiencing. His heart clenched unexpectedly and a groan emitted from his mouth. Sakura blushed slightly as she misinterpreted Sasuke's meaning and chose to change the subject.

"This sounds like you, who's the artist?" She asked.

Sasuke laughed humorlessly.

"_You left without saying goodbye_

_Although I'm sure you tried_

_You call the house from time to time_

_To make sure we're alive_

_But you weren't there_

_Right when I'm needed you the most_

_And now I dream about it_

_And how it's so bad, it's so bad_

_Father's hands are lined with guilt_

_For tearing us apart_

_Guess it turned out in the end_

_Just look at where we are_

_We made it out, we still got clothing on our backs_

_And now I scream about it_

_And how it's so bad, it's so bad_

_Long time, let's walk, let's talk"_

"I am the one singing."

Sakura's eyes widened. "No way," she breathed. "You're the one singing?"

Sasuke started the bike again and zoomed off. Hair whipping across his face, he smirked and said, "Yeah, I write the songs and sing them. They're mostly based on my experiences."

Sakura inhaled deeply. "This song is about your brother, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

Suddenly, something clicked in Sakura's brain and her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Wait, I remember this song. It's Too Bad, right? I know this, but it's sung by Sharingan Warrior."

Sasuke laughed. "I go under the name Sharingan Warrior so as to avoid publicity. That's also one of the reasons I chose Sharingan as out band's name."

Sakura sighed. "That's really cool."

She hesitated before asking again, "The lyrics are pretty sad in this song, but you don't seem like you had a really bad childhood considering you're in our school."

Sasuke replied in a low voice, "I know. With no one around me, I lived alone for a few years and worked as a bouncer for night clubs during the night to support myself. I went to public school in the day though. I guess I learnt quite a lot about playing the guitar then. When I finally saved enough money to buy a guitar, I had already written some lyrics and the song just formed in my head. I played some gigs for the night clubs where I worked in and my producer, Kakashi Hatake, signed me up after seeing my performance."

Turning a corner sharply, he continued, "I earned a lot of money with that CD and could finally afford a good education here in Konoha High."

Sakura eyes were fairly wet by the time Sasuke had finished speaking and pity was evident in her green eyes.

"Wow, I never knew that."

Looking downcast, she asked in a small voice, "So Sasuke, what is your full name?"

Sasuke looked at her. "Does it matter?"

He stopped his bike suddenly. Looking up, Sakura realized that they had reached her house.

Getting off the bike, she smiled and thanked Sasuke.

Sasuke grinned, "No problem, I live across the road."

Sakura gaped at him. "WHAT?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Sasuke pulled up to his driveway, Sakura proceeded to unlock the door. As she fiddled with her keys, she couldn't help glancing back at the handsome boy.

"Could he be related to Itachi? After all, they look so alike."

"_So Sasuke, what is your full name?" "Does it matter?"_

"Could he really be related to _Itachi Uchiha_?"


	5. Kogane no Hikari

Yubikara kobore ochita kagayaki no naka ima mo

**Don't own Naruto shockhorror, yes, too bad. Neither do I own Kogane no Hikari, it's sung by Noriaki Sugiyama though (Sasuke's VA), so be sure to check it out when you read the lyrics and you can finally imagine Sasuke singing squeals fangirl squeal**

**Translation by babelfish**

**Kogane no Hikari**

Sasuke tossed his keys onto the table as he walked past. Heading straight for his studio, which was located on the right of his room. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

"_Yubikara kobore ochita kagayaki no naka ima mo  
Toushi wo himeta manazashi asayaka ni utsuru  
Kaze no mukou no kotae wo osoreru koto mo naku  
Mitsume tsuzuketa kedakasa"_

Pausing, he grinned as he remembered the last conversation he had with Kakashi.

'_**Sasuke, you need to hurry up and write some more songs for your new album. It's been 7 months already. The company's asking about it.'**_

Sasuke laughed in mirth. Guess all you needed was a girl to inspire you, eh?

"_Shinjitsu wa yasashisa to itami no kakera nokoshi  
Kono mune wo tsuranuitewa toorisugite yuku  
Mijukkuna tenohira ni aru hateshinai ashita wo  
Toutoki hito ni sasageyou"_

Tossing aside his pen, he leaned over his desk and grabbed his acoustic guitar. Slumping back into his chair, he settled the guitar at the foot of his chair before continuing writing.

"_Maeni fumidasu tabi sora wa hiroku  
Takaku kanjiru kedo soredemo oikaketai_

_Kogane no hikari wo  
Shinjiru kokoro de  
Negaukara"_

As he sucked his pen in thought, Sasuke reached for his guitar and started trying out some chords.

"_Kizutsuitemo shizukani uketomete yudaneteta  
Sadame sae koete susumu rintoshita kiyosa  
Nukumori wa kieta keredo kagirinai mirai wo  
Itoshiki hito e tsunageyou_

_Yami ni mayou tabi ni michi wa tooku  
Nagaku tsurai keredo nigezuni aruiteyuku_

_Kogane no hikari ni hajinai tsuyosa wo  
Chikaukara_

_Kogane no hikari wo  
Shinjiru kokoro de_

_Kogane no hikari ni hajinai tsuyosa wo  
Chikaukara  
Eien wo ano hito ni"_

Sasuke laughed, this was definitely one his best songs. As he strummed his guitar, plucking at its strings randomly, the music suddenly played in his head. His fingers unconsciously played along with it as the music flowed from his imagination.

Soft guitar chords drifted out as Sasuke opened his mouth to sing. His voice was no longer as harsh or smooth as before, but was instead gentle and loving. This was one of Sasuke's great gifts in music. He could write a piece of music in a matter of minutes and his music compositions were not limited to any genre. Simply put, Sasuke could write anything, from classical music to heavy rock. Another talent that Sasuke possessed was the ability to adapt to different music. He could play rock like any major rock star yet he could croon love songs as if he were a love sick male. This was what Sasuke was like. Music was his passion and music was a part of his soul.

Sasuke stopped playing his guitar and entered some notes into his keyboard. Swiveling around in his chair, he started up the recording program in his computer. As he pressed the 'record' button, he sat back down and pulled the microphone over in front of him. As he started strumming his guitar, he opened his mouth and let loose all the emotions for Sakura in his song.

After one verse, he pressed a button on his keyboard and the piano and drums joined him in his recording.

As he finished his song, he was surprised to find that his eyes were slightly moist. Grumbling to himself, he sent the song to Kakashi along with the translation of the lyrics

"_It spilled in the shining which falls it continued to stare from the finger and the look which even now conceals combative spirit either the fact that the answering on the other side of the wind which appears vividly is feared without, it is noble It will lift up the endless tomorrow when as for truth penetrating this chest of the fragment leaving of kindliness and pain, passing, there is an immature palm which keeps to the valuable coming person Each time it advances before as for the sky however you feel widely high even then we would like to chase Because you ask with the soul which believes golden light Being hurt, catching gently, it has entrusted even destiny exceeding, it advances, with it did, it is clear, warm to come however it went out, dearly, it will be able to connect the future which it does not limit to the person At each time it is perplexed to the darkness the road keeps however it is harsh far long, without escaping, walking, Because you swear the strength which is not in golden light With the soul which believes golden light Because you swear the strength which is not in golden light eternity in that person."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke slipped into his homeroom and headed straight for the corner desk. Plopping down into his seat, he folded his arms and started drifting off, only to find himself being shaken awake by a hyperactive blonde seconds later.

"HEY SASUKE! ARE YOU OK?"

Sasuke growled irritably. "Dobe, I'm really tired. Leave me alone."

Naruto smiled at him, "Why are you tired? Did you two stay up or something?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched every so slightly. "You loser, stop making stupid comments! I'm tired because I stayed up to record a song last night."

Naruto beamed at him. "Is it a love song for Sakura?"

Sasuke's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"What the…no! I don't like her, besides, she's got a boyfriend."

Naruto pouted. "Oh yeah, forgot about that."

"Forgot about what?"

The two boys turned around. Sakura was looking at them curiously. She repeated her question again.

"Forgot about what?"

Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck and he grinned sheepishly at his best friend.

"I was just saying that I forgot about you having a boyfriend."

Sasuke's face darkened ever so slightly, although Naruto and Sakura were to busy laughing to notice.

Sakura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah anyway, I'm meeting him downtown tonight for dinner."

Naruto grinned. "Another date? You guys are finally getting serious."

Sakura smiled. "Yes, we are. He's so sweet."

The blonde gave her the thumbs up. "Well, have fun tonight then."

The rosette smiled. "I will." She turned and walked back across the classroom to her seat.

Sasuke growled under his breath and muttered to himself, "Who is this guy?"

Unfortunately, Naruto heard him and slapped him on the back. "That 'guy' is not just any guy. He's Itachi Uchiha."

'_Itachi'_

'_Uchiha'_

The words rang in Sasuke's mind

'_Itachi'_

"What did you just say?"

'_Uchiha'_

"I said 'he's Itachi Uchiha'. Why? Do you know him?"

'_Itachi'_

'_Uchiha'_

"WHAT??"


	6. Falling

Everyone knows that Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, right

**Everyone knows that Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, right? I only own the plot.**

**Yay! Itachi finally appears! Stay tuned people!**

**Falling**

A shady figure put on his helmet and leaned casually against his motorcycle as he waited for a certain rosette to emerge from her house. Having followed her back from school, the person waiting for her started to get impatient. As he lounged against the bike, his head snapped up as his target appeared. Waving down a taxi, the girl got into the car and it drove off. The stalker slipped onto his bike and speeded after her.

As the taxi pulled over outside a fancy restaurant, the biker turned into an alley just before the restaurant and parked his bike there. Removing his helmet, he hung it on the bike handle and ran a hand through his raven locks. Peering around the corner, he saw that the girl had entered the restaurant. Frowning slightly, he leaned against the wall and waited.

After an hour later, he started to grow impatient and flipped open his phone. Flicking through his contacts' list, he selected Sakura's number and dialled it. After a few rings, Sakura picked up.

"Hello?"

Sasuke grimaced, "Sakura, it's Sasuke."

"Oh hey, what's up?"

Rubbing his temples, Sasuke gritted his teeth before asking, "Are you busy?"

He could hear laughter from the other end of the line. "Yeah, I'm actually on a date."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'll see you at school then."

Snapping his phone shut, he nodded in satisfaction as he had just confirmed that Itachi was inside the restaurant with Sakura. Sasuke blew out a breath and he felt his face flush with anger at the idea that having finally located Itachi, he was actually going out with a girl that he liked.

A creak of the door aroused him from his thoughts. Peering around the corner, he could see the backs of two figures. One who had pink hair and one who had black hair tied into a ponytail.

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke clenched his fists. _'Itachi Uchiha'_

As he made a move to step out from the shadows of the alley, he heard the man speak in a soft and soothing voice, "Sakura, why don't you go home first? I've just remembered that I have something to attend to."

Sakura nodded and leaned forward to kiss him briefly on the lips. However, this small action sent shivers down Sasuke's spine as he wrestled with his emotions.

'_Focus Sasuke, Itachi is just in front of you.'_

As Sakura disappeared around the next corner, the man turned around, eyes flashing dangerously as he called out, "Come on out, I know you're here."

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows, eyes narrowed in anger. "Itachi Uchiha."

The elder Uchiha's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke stepped forward. "You bastard, I've finally found you."

Itachi's eyes hardened.

Sasuke continued, "Where have you been!? You left me all alone, left me to fend for myself and I don't even know where Mom and Dad are now! Do you know how hard it was just to survive?"

Itachi stiffened. "Foolish little brother, you are still as naïve as before. So what if I left you alone? You're alive aren't you?"

Sasuke growled menacingly, "You ran away after Mom and Dad disappeared! I was only eight! I had no idea what was going on! I spent eight years looking for you in hopes of having a normal life! Having a family!"

Itachi laughed coldly. With insane speed, he appeared in front of Sasuke and leaned forward. Whispering in his ear, he chuckled, "That's not gonna happen Sasuke. You know why?" Edging even closer, he continued, "That's because I killed Mom and Dad eight years ago."

Itachi's fist smashed into Sasuke's lower abdomen before his knee connected with the younger Uchiha's jaw, causing Sasuke to crash onto the floor. Walking forward, Itachi said in a calm voice, "If you know what's good for you Sasuke, you won't look for me anymore."

Turning around, he started to walk away. Glancing backwards, he said, "By the way, don't bother asking Sakura anything, because she doesn't know anything." Just as he finished his sentence, Itachi sidestepped Sasuke's fist which was aimed at his head. Grabbing a hold of Sasuke's arm with his left arm, Itachi twisted around and brought Sasuke's arm behind his back. Lifting his right arm, he smashed his elbow down onto his younger brother's back. A sickening crack echoed along the alley as Sasuke yelled in pain and collapsed onto the floor. Itachi stood over his brother's body as he looked at him coldly.

Bending downwards, Itachi grabbed Sasuke by his collar and slammed him against the wall. Shifting his grip up towards Sasuke's neck, he tightened his hold. As Sasuke used his free hand to try to pry open Itachi's hold, Itachi growled. "Sasuke, if you don't want to end up like our parents, I suggest you disassociate yourself completely from me. You don't know what you're getting into if you do and when the Akatsuki come after you, they won't go easy on you like I did today."

Releasing his grip, Sasuke fell onto the ground, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. As consciousness slipped away from him, Sasuke swore that he heard Itachi whisper, "It doesn't have to be this way."

Struggling to get up, Sasuke propped himself onto his left arm but only to fall back onto the ground as darkness claimed him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto glanced around. Spotting Kiba, he called out, "Hey Kiba! Have you seen Sasuke?"

Kiba shook his head. "No, I've been wondering about him too. It's not like him to miss school."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh man, today's gonna be so boring then! I have no one to talk to during class." Folding his arms, Naruto pouted. Looking up, he spotted Sakura and asked the same question. Receiving the same answer, Naruto pouted even more.

As their homeroom teacher, Iruka sensei, entered the classroom, Shikamaru could see that he was clearly troubled. Slamming his books on the table, Iruka sensei glanced at his class worriedly.

Clapping his hands together, Iruka surveyed his class one more time before speaking. "Class, the school's just received a phone call from Konoha General Hospital and apparently, Sasuke Uchiha has just been admitted with a broken arm and internal injuries. The hospital said that he was found unconscious in an alley by some passerbys. Does anyone know what happened?"

Receiving no response, Iruka nodded. "Thank you class. Ok, now off to your classes."

As the class scrambled to get their books, Sharingan's remaining members gathered together.

"Oh man, what the heck happened?"

"Don't know, maybe we should visit him today."

"Yeah, his condition seems troublesome, let's go today."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to piece together the situation.

'_Sasuke Uchiha'_

Her eyes narrowed as she recalled Iruka sensei's words. "So, he might be related to Itachi Uchiha. If that's true, then Itachi ran away from home, leaving Sasuke to fend for himself. Sasuke was admitted into hospital yesterday and I left before Itachi did. Did they meet and have a fight?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she contemplated the possibilities. "What happened, Sasuke?"


	7. Long Kiss Goodbye

Don't own Naruto, only plot…

**Don't own Naruto, only plot….blah blah blah. I'm sorry that it's so short but I need to plan my next chapter carefully but some people really wanted me to update, so sorry, yeah.**

**Long Kiss Goodbye**

Sasuke opened his eyes groggily as he waited for them to adjust to the bright light. Blinking rapidly, he tilted his head as crashes could be heard from the corridor. He frowned slightly as he recognized the shouts as Naruto's. As if on cue, the door burst open to reveal the hyperactive blonde.

"Teme! What did you do now?! Did you kill someone or something?" Naruto shouted next to his ear. A fist appeared next to him and proceeded to smash onto his head.

Neji glared coolly at him. "You baka, can't you see he's resting?" He glanced at the Uchiha in acknowledgement as the rest of the band filed in.

Kiba barked out in laughter. "Good to see you Sasuke, band practice sucks at the moment." He steadied the singer as Sasuke slowly sat up.

Sasuke nodded in thanks. Shikamaru yawned lazily as he leaned against the wall and asked, "So, what happened?"

Brows furrowing, Sasuke recalled the incident on that fateful night. A flash of pink caused him to look up hurriedly. His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes softened as he saw Sakura at the door.

Coughing slightly, Sakura stepped into the room shyly. Averting his gaze, Sasuke allowed his cold demeanor to mask his true feelings. He continued in a low tone, "It's nothing, I just got…mugged."

Naruto slapped the Uchiha on the back, causing the latter to grimace in pain. "Well, I always knew you were a weakling Sasuke!" His grin withered on his face as Sasuke sent him a death glare. Seriously, if looks _could_ kill, Naruto would be dead a few times already.

Glancing at his watch, Neji said, "Guys, we have to go now. Soccer match starts in ten minutes."

As the guys filed out of the room, Sasuke's eyes flickered towards Sakura. He could not deny it anymore, he knew that he loved her. However, she loved Itachi and he

had to kill Itachi, what was he to do? Sasuke frowned as he contemplated the possibilities.

Licking his lips nervously, Sasuke started to say something but was cut off by Sakura.

"Sasuke, you were never a good liar. You didn't get mugged, did you?"

Sasuke ignored her remark as his fists tightened around the bed sheets.

Sakura continued as she stepped forward. "Did you…get into a fight with Itachi?"

Sasuke forehead creased at the mention of his brother. Forcing himself to stay calm, he murmured, "No, I haven't seen Itachi for 8 years." Looking up, he caught the relief on Sakura's face. He felt a tightening in his chest as the guilt wormed its way into his heart. It pained him to have to lie to the girl he loved, however, it had to be done so as to avoid hurting her. He mentally berated himself, '_She must not know about Itachi.' _

Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?"

Grimacing with determination, Sasuke threw off the sheets and proceeded to change into his clothes. Ignoring Sakura's protests that he was in no condition to leave, he slipped on his trainers.

Turning around to face Sakura, he leaned forward as he captured her lips. Sakura felt herself relax as she responded. Sasuke's kiss was different to Itachi's. A bit more forceful, but with more passion. As Sasuke pulled away, she could hear him whisper softly, "I'm sorry", before she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck and everything went dark.

Sasuke stared as he saw the girl topple onto the ground. Bending down, he picked her up and placed her onto the hospital bed gently. Turning around, he reached the door. Stopping just before it, he touched the black flame tattoos on his left arm. Itachi's words echoed in his head.

"_When the Akatsuki come after you, they won't go easy on you like I did today"_

Sasuke growled as he ran his fingers over his tattoos. "Looks like I'll have to go back to Orochimaru again."


	8. Shattered

**Don't own Naruto or the song Shattered, only plot. Song belongs to Trading Yesterday.**** I got a lot of inspiration from kheartsterra's Shattered SasuSaku amv. "I've lost everything once. I never want to see that again" and "I'm suffering now because of these ties" is from the Naruto English dub.**

**For that awesome amv which helped me so much, here it is**

**.com/watch?v=S3LSgXOr20g**

**Do watch it ppl, it's breathtaking and kheartsterra's amvs help with my story. I just found out that she has an amv using the song Already Over, which also is the song I based my whole story on, hence the title. That amv gave me inspiration for a twist in this story but you'll have to wait for the ending.**

**Shattered**

_Sasuke…_

The bright light blinded her momentarily as Sakura opened her eyes groggily.

_What happened?_

Sitting up slowly, the rosette blinked confusedly for a few seconds. Shaking her head slightly, she slipped off the bed before realization finally hit her.

_Sasuke!_

Sakura's eyes widened with panic as she remembered the previous incident. Wrenching open the door, she ran out of the room.

Flipping open her phone, she dialled a number.

"Hello?"

"Naruto!" Sakura all but shouted into the phone, "Sasuke's gone!"

"Sasuke's gone?" Naruto asked in a confused manner.

"Yes, Sasuke's gone!" Sakura bellowed into her phone.

"Wait…what?"

Sakura gritted her teeth in annoyance before hanging up. Scrolling through her contacts list, Sakura selected another number and dialled. As she ran out of the hospital, the line connected. A male voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Itachi!"

The elder Uchiha frowned slightly, "What's the matter Sakura, are you ok?"

Sakura inhaled deeply as she tried to calm herself down.

"I'm fine, but Sasuke's gone missing from the hospital!"

Sighing, Itachi rubbed his temples. _Sasuke…_

Standing up, Itachi grabbed his car keys as he exited the room.

"Stay there Sakura, I'm coming."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke stepped into a dimly lit room. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a shadow move across the room.

Stepping forward, Sasuke sat down and faced his contact.

"It's been a while, Orochimaru."

The shifty figure leaned forward hungrily. His eyes were yellow slits and his skin was unnaturally pale, almost white. His long, black hair threw his face into the shadows as he leered at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, what can I do for you?"

The raven haired boy shifted impatiently. Staring straight into the snake-like man's eyes, he said in a chilling tone, "I want to know…everything about…Akatsuki."

For a split second, Orochimaru looked taken aback. However, he quickly retained his calm façade and chuckled.

"Akatsuki huh? What's going on?"

Sasuke brought a fist down onto the table. He growled, "You once claimed you could help me find Itachi. Now I've found him and he claims to have killed my parents and that he's in Akatsuki! Now, tell me what's going on!"

Orochimaru folded his arms. _This could work to my advantage. After all, Itachi was the one who helped recruit someone else to replace me in Akatsuki._

Smiling, he said, "That's good for me, because I want to get rid of Itachi too for personal reasons. I'll help you. I'll tell you about Akatsuki and train you. How does that sound? You can even kill him yourself if you want."

The Uchiha nodded stiffly.

Orochimaru rubbed his hands in delight. "Excellent, here it is." Leaning against his chair, he started.

"Akatsuki is an assassination organisation which I used to be part of. They specialize in tracking and killing and there are 10 members. Akatsuki members operate in pairs and execute their mission. They usually work for rich clients such as tyrants or the mafia. I highly suspect that Akatsuki killed your parents under the orders of their company's rivals or something like that."

Sasuke clenched his fist in anger and his body trembled slightly. _What the…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The black Ferrari pulled up outside of the hospital. The window lowered and a handsome young man with long hair gestured for Sakura to get into his car. The rosette opened the door and slipped into the seat beside him and the car immediately took off.

Itachi glanced at his girlfriend as he manoeuvred the car through the traffic.

"So, what happened?"

Sakura looked at him worriedly.

"I don't know. Sasuke was in the hospital and I went to visit him. When he woke up, he knocked me out and left. I don't know where he's gone."

Itachi's face remained impassive but his heart clenched tightly as he absorbed the news.

_Damn it Sasuke, what are you doing?_

"It'll be fine Sakura, I promise."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but stopped.

_Why am I so concerned about Sasuke. He most probably just went back home or something. Besides, Itachi's his brother. He'll know where Sasuke is. Yeah, that'll be it. Anyway, I love Itachi, not Sasuke, right?_

Sakura looked out of the window as she stared at the white clouds. If she had paid attention to Itachi, she would have noticed the tightening of his grip on the steering wheel as he weaved in and out between other cars on the road.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke lowered his head slightly, allowing his raven locks to hide his eyes.

"So Sasuke, how much do you want revenge?"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes as red flashed through his eyes.

"Revenge is my first priority now."

Orochimaru smiled. "Excellent, let hatred fuel you and give you strength." Circling around the raven haired boy, he whispered next to his ear, "Then, you're going to have to learn…to severe your bonds with your friends. You cannot afford distractions, hmm?"

Sasuke did not answer but instead turned around and left the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flinging open the door, Sasuke slumped onto his bed.

_Sakura…_

Squeezing his eyes shut, he thought, "I can't love the only person I love because of Itachi. I can't hurt her and I can't be with her."

Sitting up, he glanced at his guitar, which was propped against the wall in the corner of his room.

"I can't be with her or else Akatsuki would go after her. I've lost everything once. I don't ever want to see that again…I guess, I'm suffering now because of these ties."

Standing up wearily, he ventured over to the corner of his room and picked up his guitar. Contemplating for a moment, he started picking clear notes before strumming chords to accompany his singing.

_**Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding  
Fall into your sunlight  
The future's open wide beyond believing  
To know why hope dies  
Losing what was found, a world so hollow  
Suspended in a compromise  
The silence of this sound is soon to follow  
Somehow sundown**_

And finding answers  
Is forgetting all of the questions we call home  
Passing the graves of the unknown

_**As reason clouds my eyes, with splendor fading  
Illusions of the sunlight  
And the reflection of a lie will keep me waiting  
Love gone for so long**_

This day's ending is the proof of time killing all the faith I know  
Knowing that faith is all I hold

Closing his eyes, he allowed the music to carry him away as the words flowed automatically from his mouth and his fingers played the notes automatically.

_**And I've lost who I am  
And I can't understand  
Why my heart is so broken  
Rejecting your love  
Without  
Love gone wrong  
Lifeless words  
Carry on**_

But I know  
All I know  
Is that the ends beginning

Who I am from the start  
Take me home to my heart  
Let me go  
And I will run  
I will not be silenced  


As he strummed the chords faster as the song picked up the pace, his thoughts drifted to Sakura. He could remember how beautiful she looked the first time he saw her, the way she danced seductively in the disco, the jealousy he felt when he watched her dance with Gaara and the stabbing pain in his heart as he learnt that she was dating Itachi. What made it even worse was that he learnt what Itachi had done, yet could do nothing about anything. He could not tell Sakura and could not be with her, yet he had not obtained his revenge. For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt helpless…and truly alone.

_**All this time spent in vain  
Wasted years  
Wasted gain  
All is lost  
Hope remains  
And this war's not over**_

There's a light  
There's the sun  
Taking all the shattered ones  
To the place we belong  
And his love will conquer all  
Yes his love will conquer all

Opening his eyes, Sasuke's strumming slowed to a halt. Gazing out of the window, he murmered,

_**Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding  
Fall into your sunlight**_

_Sakura…_


	9. Break Me Down

**Don't own Naruto, only plot. Don't own the songs either, belongs to their respective bands.**

**And just to clarify because some reviewers were a bit confused. Sasuke doesn't seem as cold hearted as in the manga, this is because he just found that Itachi was the one to kill his parents. Remember, before he found Itachi, he didn't what happened to both his parents and Itachi, therefore he wouldn't be as bitter and full of hatred. Or at least, not at the moment.**

**Break Me Down**

_1 week later…_

Naruto stared blankly at Iruka.

"What do you mean he's not coming back?" He yelled.

Iruka rubbed his temples and sighed. Glancing wearily at the loud blonde, he said, "I mean, he's not coming back, which bit of that statement did you not understand?"

By this time, Naruto's eyes were about the size of dinner plates.

"What? Why's the teme not coming back?" He complained.

Iruka was starting to get impatient. Slamming a hand onto the desk, he gritted his teeth before replying, "Sasuke cannot come back for _personal reasons_ Naruto, understand?"

As the blonde continued arguing with his homeroom teacher, Sakura stared at him in shock.

_He wasn't coming back?_

Sakura frowned as her eyebrows knitted in concentration. She had a nagging suspicion that something was not right, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

The ring of the bell snapped her out of her thoughts. As everyone scrambled to leave the classroom, she picked up her books and dragged Naruto with her, intent on discussing the issue at hand. Naruto yelped as Sakura practically dragged him out of the classroom. As Sakura stepped out into the corridor, she nearly smashed into a man.

Looking up in annoyance, Sakura opened her mouth to yell at the offender only to stop and stare.

The man had silver white hair sticking up at a certain angle and the lower part of his face was covered with a black mask. He was wearing loose fitting jeans and black trainers. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to the elbows, showing off his muscular arms.

Lifting up a hand in greeting, he uttered a single word. "Yo!"

Both Naruto and Sakura stared at him, not knowing how to react to such a strange person.

The man extended a hand towards Sakura. "Hi, I'm Sasuke's manager, Kakashi Hatake."

Realization dawned on the rosette as she shook his hand. Smiling at the confused expression on Naruto's face, she said with a grin, "You mean Sharingan."

Kakashi scratched his head as he laughed. "Of course." Tilting his head towards Naruto, he asked kindly, "So, are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

The blond pointed a finger at the silver haired man and shouted dramatically, "Yeah, believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future …ack!" Naruto clutched his head in pain as Sakura glanced at him irritably.

"Don't introduce yourself like that every time you meet someone, ok?" She snapped at him.

Kakashi's eyes creased as he smiled. Stuffing his hands into his pocket, he motioned with his head towards the school's carpark.

"Come on, I need to talk to you about Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes widened.

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Kakashi leaned against his silver Mercedes as he surveyed the two teenagers in front of him. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. Looking up, his expression turned serious as he asked in a low voice, "So, have you two any idea where Sasuke is?"

Sakura shook her head while Naruto did the same.

Kakashi let out a breath. "Well, I just thought you two might have some idea. Sasuke talked about you two a lot and I thought I might give it a try." Pushing himself off the car, he straightened up. "Well, do tell me when you find him." Slipping the two of them his business card, he opened the car door.

"Wait!"

Kakashi turned around, eyebrows raised.

Sakura looked up at him expectantly. "What's going on? With Sasuke missing and you turning up, will someone please explain what's going on?"

Naruto piped up as well. "Yeah! What's going on?"

Kakashi leaned across the driver's seat and extracted a folder amidst the mess in his car. As he pulled out the papers in it, he explained.

"Well, I've tried to contact Sasuke for the past week but he never picks up his phone. However, he did send me the drafts for his new songs, so I guess he's still working on his new album." Kakashi waved the papers in front of Sakura and Naruto. "Well, I need to find him you know? I can't have my singers pulling disappearing acts like this all the time."

Sakura nodded as she glanced at the music sheets. She could not make out the notes but she could swear that there was one song called Kogane no Hikari and one called Shattered.

Nodding a brief goodbye, Kakashi opened the car door and slipped into the driver's seat.

_Sasuke…_

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"Hey Sakura! You need a ride?"

Sakura smiled kindly at Naruto. "It's fine, I got my car today Naruto."

"All right!" Waving a goodbye at the rosette, Naruto pulled away from the car park.

Sakura shook her head in amusement as she also drove off.

As she was musing about the strange disappearance of Sasuke, Sakura felt her cell phone vibrate in the seat next to her.

Flipping the cover open, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sakura." A husky voice said.

Sakura smiled. "Hey Itachi."

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The elder Uchiha glanced wearily out of the window. Slipping on his jacket, which had a picture of a red cloud on the back, he stepped out of his room and proceeded to his living room.

"Sorry I haven't called for so long but work's killing me." Itachi said.

He sighed inwardly as he heard Sakura reply. Picking up a silver briefcase, he continued as he opened it, exposing the contents.

"I've been thinking, maybe we should take things slower Sakura." Itachi picked up the silver handgun inside and slid it into his jacket pocket.

"What do I mean? Well, I was thinking that maybe we could take a break, you know? Then, we can talk about it," Itachi said as he stepped out of his house.

After a pause, Itachi muttered, "I'm sorry", once more before hanging up.

Sidestepping into a dark alley, he slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a key. Slipping the key into the lock, he unlocked the door and went down the flight of stairs into the Akatsuki hideout.

_Itachi's face remained impassive but his heart was sinking. Sasuke had joined Orochimaru. The realization had hit him hard and he was getting angrier by the second. If Sasuke had joined that bastard, he would have to __concentrate on stopping Sasuke from interfering with Akatsuki's plans, or else__** his**__ plan would be ruined._

Itachi clenched his fist as he remembered the day he had received that information.

_If I have to stop Sasuke, then I have to end it with Sakura. I cannot risk Sasuke or me hurting her. It has to be done._

Itachi knew he had no choice. Not if so much was at stake. He had to end _everything_, and the only way was to make sacrifices, even if it meant giving up the one he loved to protect her.

_Foolish little brother…_

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	10. Do You Know

**Don't own Naruto, only plot. Don't own the songs eithe****r, belongs to their respective owners. Do you know belongs to Enrique Iglesias.**

**Yep, sorry for the late update, school is really annoying. I have to juggle time between my amvs and MEPs and amv contests you know, and I still have to find time to transcribe piano stuff, so pls be patient. I will try to update soon. XD**

**Do You Know?**

Sakura threw her phone into the seat next to her as she let out a cry of frustration.

_First Sasuke, now Itachi._

She blinked rapidly as her eyes become moist.

_How could Itachi just end it like this?_

Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. 'After so many years, it has come to this', she thought bitterly as she pressed down hard on the accelerator. Her car shot forward with renewed energy as she sped off.

Using the back of her hand, she wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks as she tried to blank out all the thoughts in her head. However, her heart sank as she realized that it was not Itachi she was worrying about at the moment but Sasuke.

In a rage, she twisted the steering wheel and pulled into a car park. _What is wrong with me? My boyfriend just broke up with me and I'm thinking about his little brother?_

Opening the car door, Sakura stepped out of the car and slammed it shut. Breathing deeply, she looked up. There was a jumble of emotions reflected in her eyes - uncertainty, insecurity, loneliness, sorrow, anger.

Letting out a choked sob, she leaned against the car door. Sliding downwards slowly, the tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. Her shoulders heaved with each raspy breath she took as she sat on the ground, hugging her knees close to her chest. Burrowing her head into her arms, she wept.

For what seemed like ages, she finally calmed down. Slowly lifting her head, she realized that someone was standing before her. Letting out a gasp, she scrambled to stand up. Only then did she recognise the silhouetted figure as the ex lead singer of Sabaku.

"Gaara!"

The red haired boy looked at her before speaking slowly and uncertainly. "Are…are you ok?"

The old longing for Itachi welled up in Sakura's heart and the dam threatened to burst again. Sensing the girl's distress, the boy stepped forward and embraced her as Sakura cried her heart out.

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Gaara nodded solemnly as Sakura explained to him about the situation. Grasping her hand, he stared into her eyes reassuringly.

His deep baritone voice brought a faint smile to the rosette's lips. "It'll be fine Sakura."

Standing up, Gaara counted out some notes and placed it onto the table. Ignoring Sakura's protests, he steered her out of the restaurant. Smirking at her, he proceeded to explain.

"I'm not letting a girl pay for me."

Sakura smiled weakly at him before managing to utter a "thanks".

The boy waved dismissively. Slowing down to wait for Sakura to catch up, he nodded at the mall's exit.

"You want to go?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer but a certain shop caught her eye. Turning to look at her left, she figured that it was a CD shop. Gaara caught her gaze and gently nudged her.

"Let's take a look then, how's that sound?"

Sakura nodded gratefully.

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Walking down the aisles between the shelves packed full of CDs, memories stirred up in Sakura's mind.

_I go under the name Sharingan Warrior__…_

Eyes glistening, Sakura turned towards the S aisle. Scanning the names of the bands and solo artists, she finally managed to find Sharingan Warrior.

Pulling out the CD in the section, Sakura turned it over. Chuckling to herself, she showed the CD to Gaara.

The red head looked surprised. "I didn't know you liked Sharingan Warrior." He grinned at the girl. "You got lucky Sakura, this CD just came out three days ago." Glancing at the title, he smirked. "Team 7 huh…"

Smiling, Sakura made her way towards the cashier.

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Smiling at Gaara thankfully, she squeezed his hand.

"Thank you."

Gaara nodded in understanding. He clapped a hand onto her shoulder firmly before turning towards his car.

Sakura walked over to her car and slipped into the driver's seat. Opening the CD case gingerly, she removed the disc and slipped it into the music player.

Selecting the first track, she started the car and made her way back home slowly. Glancing at the title, she saw that the track was named "Do You Know".

Turning up the volume, she waited for the disc to load. After a moment, Sasuke's voice drifted out from the speakers.

_**Do you know**__**,**_

_**Do you know,**_

Sasuke burst into the chorus and Sakura shivered slightly as she felt the genuine emotions emitting from Sasuke's lyrics.

_**Do you know what it feels like**_

_**loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away.**_

_**Do you know**_

_**Do you know**_

_**Do you know**_

_**Do you know what it feels like**_

_**to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed**_

Sakura's eyes prickled slightly as she listened.

_I write the songs and sing them. They're mostly based on my experiences__…_

_**If birds flying south is a sign of changes**_

_**At least you can predict this every year.**_

_**Love, you never know the minute it ends suddenly**_

_**I can't get it to speak**_

_**Maybe finding all the things it took to save us**_

_**I could fix the pain that bleeds inside of me**_

_**Look in your eyes to see something about me**_

_**I'm standing on the edge and I don't know what else to give.**_

Sakura could not help but feel her heart clench as she recognized the similarities between the song and her current situation. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she fought to control her emotions.

_**How can I love you **_

_**How can I love you **_

_**How can I love you **_

_**How can I love you **_

_**If you just don't talk to me, babe.**_

_Itachi…_

_**It flows through my head**_

_**The question is she needed**_

_**And decide all the man I can ever be.**_

_**Looking at the last 3 years like I did,**_

_**I could never see us ending like this.**_

_**Do you know**_

_**Seeing your face no more on my pillow**_

_**Is a scene that's never happened to me.**_

_**Do you know**_

_**But after this episode I don't see,**_

_**you could never tell the next thing life could be.**_

_Sasuke…Itachi…_

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	11. Change Your Mind

**Don't own Naruto *shock**horror*, yes, too bad. Neither do I own the song Changer Your Mind, it belongs to BoyceAvenue and I Stand Alone belongs to Godsmack**

**Sorry for the late update, here's a longer chapter. Sasuke will meet Naruto and Sakura in the next chapter, stay tuned XD**

**Change Your Mind**

_Two years later…_

The eighteen year old pushed open the double doors and strode confidently down the corridor. Reaching the end, she turned left and pushed open the door to her lecture room. Spotting her friend, she made her way across the room and plopped down into the seat next to him.

"Sakura-chan!"

Said rosette grinned at the hyper blond. "Hey Naruto."

The blond beamed at her as he ruffled his long locks and smiled sheepishly at her. He started hesitantly, "so…do you want to go to Ichiraku's tonight?"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, sure. I'm free after my last lecture at 6."

Naruto gave her the thumbs up. "Awesome! I'll pick you up in the car park then!"

Sakura laughed again. Naruto had not changed much over the past 2 years. Even though they were now in university, he was still the same goofy little kid deep down. However, Sakura could not help but admit that he had grown taller and more muscular. His blond locks fell over his eyes in a very appealing manner and he had ditched his orange clothes for tighter clothes which showed off his strong build perfectly.

They had been on an on and off relationship for the past year. Sakura had refused to enter into a proper relationship since her break up with Itachi and deep down, Naruto knew that she had still not gotten over it. Since then, Itachi had not been seen by anyone. However, neither Naruto nor Sakura had managed to locate Sasuke either. Naruto was, to say more obsessed, about finding Sasuke. In fact, since Sasuke's disappearance, Sharingan had broken up. The blond was deeply affected by this and Sakura knew that he was hurt deeply by what some would see as betrayal.

Sakura was shaken from her thoughts as Naruto's voice cut in, "Well, I have to go practice my guitar now, see you at 7!" Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he bounded out of the classroom, nearly crashing into Gaara as he left.

Gaara threw an icy glare at his friend before occupying Naruto's now empty seat.

Sakura smiled at him as he sat down. "Hey Gaara."

Gaara nodded in acknowledgment before tilting his head towards the cafeteria. "Lunch?"

Sakura glanced at her watch before replying. "Sure, but I have to go to a lecture at 2, ok?"

Gaara stuffed his hands into his pocket as he stood up. Shrugging nonchalantly, he dismissed her worriers casually. "Yeah whatever, let's just go."

Sakura huffed silently as she glared daggers at Gaara's retreating back. Gaara was a very nice guy but he could be so rude sometimes. Running after him, she caught up with him and stood in the queue for their lunch.

Humming to herself, she stopped as she noticed Gaara staring at her. Raising a brow, she shot the redhead a questioning look. "What?"

Gaara's lip twitched ever so slightly. Folding his arms, he leaned casually against the wall and Sakura could see the faint amusement in his turquoise eyes. "What song is it that you were humming?" he murmered.

Sakura blinked. She hadn't expected that. "Well, it's a song from Team 7. Remember that CD? Anyway, it's called Change Your Mind. I love that song, it's so touching."

Gaara shook his head in amusement as a gentle smile graced his face. He could remember that disc very clearly.

Collecting their food, the two of them made their way to an empty table. Picking up her chicken sandwich, Sakura took a big bite before sighing in content. Lifting her head, she once again caught Gaara staring at her again. "What now?"

Gaara smirked and stared at her levelly. "Finish your lunch, then I'll show you something," he replied quietly.

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Pushing open the door to the practice room, Gaara and Sakura stepped into the room. As Sakura shut the door quietly, Gaara walked to the corner of the room and picked up an acoustic guitar. Slipping the strap over his shoulder, he adjusted it ever so slightly.

He started strumming some rapid chords. "Maybe you should sit down," he suggested before starting to sing softly.

_**There you are with your perfect way  
You've got this little shine in your eyes  
To hear one word would make my day  
But there's no room for me in your life**_

Sakura inhaled sharply as she recognized the tune and the lyrics. "Change your mind," she whispered.

Gaara smiled as he continued.

_**Oooohhhh  
You've got me down **__**on my knees  
Oooohhhh  
And in my mind I can see  
How perfect everything could be  
But you won't give us a try**_

Sakura shivered involuntarily. Hearing Gaara sing one of Sasuke's song was somehow…different. Gaara's voice was more husky but was strangely captivating and this reminded her of Sasuke.

_Sasuke…_

_**But if I could change your mind  
How would you want me  
Would you say you need me  
'Cause I need you now**_

I try to move on but your perfect way  
Has got a little child asking why  
But this world keeps spinning  
As my heart stops beating  
Is there still no room inside  
O_**oooohhhh  
You've got me down on my knees  
Ooooohhhh  
And in my mind I can see  
How perfect everything could be  
But you won't give us a try**_

_**And if I could change your mind  
How would you hold me  
Would you stay forever  
Or just leave me here to drown**_

The music faded slowly. Sakura looked up at Gaara. Her eyes shimmered with emotions which changed so quickly that it was not possible to identify. Gaara looked at her worriedly.

"I just thought you might want to hear the song, are you ok?" he interjected quietly.

Sakura let out a breath that she did not know she was holding. Nodding quickly, she muttered, "Yeah, I'm fine." Breathing deeply, she smiled shakily at Gaara. "Thanks for the song Gaara, that was awesome."

The redhead did not look convinced, but he knew from the pained look on the girl's face that it would be wise to drop it. Slipping off his guitar, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, I think it's time for your lecture now."

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Sasuke shifted his right leg towards the left as he brought his left leg behind him. Using his momentum, he smashed his left leg into his opponent's abdomen. The other person doubled up in pain as he coughed up blood. However, Sasuke did not give him time to recover. Instead, he lifted his knee sharply, allowing it to collide with the person's jaw and sending him flying through the air and crashing into the wall. Sasuke looked at the suffering man dispassionately. Dismissing him, he turned to face his mentor.

Orochimaru slowly brought his hands together and clapped loudly.

"Very good Sasuke," he hissed.

The raven's brows furrowed. "Well, what now?" he bit out tersely. Sasuke hated to be ordered around, especially by this pale, snakelike man. Orochimaru creeped him out, even though he would never admit it out loud.

Orochimaru chuckled, his laugh echoing around the empty chamber. "I know you're bored and dying to try out your skills Sasuke. So, I'm giving you an assignment tonight. Or if you wish, a chance to have some fun."

The boy's onyx eyes hardened and his frown deepened. "What 'assignment'?" he asked as he shot the man an irritated look.

"You will join the Sound Four and go to 'persuade' the Mist gang to hurry up their payment for the last shipment."

Sasuke scoffed. The last shipment was nothing but a crater of drugs. "Where am I going?"

Orochimaru rubbed his hands together. "The Mist is downtown. You'll have to wait around Ichiraku's. They'll be in the alleys there." His eyes narrowed. "And don't fail me Sasuke."

The boy ignored him. "Yeah yeah, whatever."

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Naruto pushed himself off from his car and raised his hand in a greeting.

"Sakura-chan!"

Running forward, he slowed to a halt in front of her and took her books. Smiling widely, he reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand.

"I got something for you," his grin widened.

Sakura's eyes rounded as she accepted Naruto's gift. "How…how did you know I liked him?" she sputtered.

Naruto took her by the arm and led her to his car. "Geez Sakura, I've known you for what, 7 years?"

Sakura hugged him and gave him a brief peck on the cheek "Thank you Naruto!"

The blond blushed. "Why don't you try it out in the car?"

Sakura nodded and slipped into the passenger seat. Unwrapping the transparent wrapping on the CD, she eased Sasuke's latest album out. Taking out the disc carefully, she inserted it into the music player.

_Sasuke…_

The bass chords boomed out from the speakers as the sound of heavy drums could be heard accompanying it. Then, Sasuke's voice could be heard.

_**Now I've told you this once before**_

_**You can't control me**_

_**If you try to take me down you're gonna break**_

_**Now I feel your every nothing that you're doing for me**_

_**I'm picking you outta me**_

_**Y**__**ou run away**_

_**I stand alone**_

_**Inside**_

_**I stand alone**_

Naruto's eyes were wider than ramen bowls.

"Sakura, I had absolutely no idea that you liked such…rock songs!"

Sakura looked shocked as well. Sasuke sounded so harsh, so bitter in the song.

_I write the songs and sing them. They're mostly based on my experiences__…_

What exactly had happened to Sasuke? He had knocked her unconscious then just seemingly disappeared. It had been 2 years. 2 years of disappointment, 2 years of waiting, 2 years of pain. Sakura's heart twisted slightly.

_Sasuke…_

_**You're always hiding behind your so called goddess**_

_**So what you don't think that we can see your face**_

_**Resurrected back before the final fallen**_

_**I'll never rest until I can make my own way**_

_**I'm not afraid of fading**_

_**I stand alone**_

_**Feeling your sting down inside of me**_

_**I'm not dying for it**_

_**I stand alone**_

_**Everything that I believe is fading**_

_**I stand alone**_

_**Inside**_

_**I stand alone**_

Sakura glanced worriedly at Naruto. Naruto's eyes were practically bulging at the aggressiveness of the song and the fact that his "girlfriend" liked these kinds of songs.

Sakura placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Trust me, his songs aren't usually like this."


	12. Crash

**Don't own Naruto, why do I say this every time?**

**Crash**

Chest heaving, the raven breathed deeply as he stared at his opponent. Sweat glistened on his muscular torso but Sasuke did not care. He had to train, had to become stronger, stronger to avenge his parents and kill the man who had ruined his life. His fists clenched and shook with fury at the thought of his brother.

_Itachi…_

Whipping around in anger, he thrust his fist against the wall, hearing the crack of the wall as it crumbled slightly under the intense pressure. His head snapped up as the sound of the door opening reached his ears. Feeling the anger and annoyance swelling inside of him, Sasuke reached into his holster strapped onto his right leg and took out a blade. As he turned around, he let loose the knife, allowing it to embed itself next to the man's head. The man flinched as he felt the blade nick the side of his face, leaving a line of blood there.

Swallowing, the man said levelly, "It's time, we have to go now."

Sasuke grunted in acknowledgement and waved at the man to leave. Grabbing a short sleeve shirt, he slipped it on without buttoning it up and slipped on his combat boots. Stopping at the door, he wrenched the blade out, cracking the wall in the process. Eyes narrowing in displeasure, he stalked over to his car and got in.

Glancing into the rear mirror, the Uchiha could see his four "companions" also getting into their car. Snorting in disgust, Sasuke turned the key to ignite the car engine.

_The Sound Four, the elite bodyguards of Orochimaru…Tch, weaklings._

Slamming his foot onto the gas, the car shot forward as the Sound Four followed his lead. Sasuke's brows furrowed as he thought of his task. Finally, he could put his skills to the test. He could see if he had what it took to bring down his brother. Turning on the music player, he cranked up the volume, allowing the music to wash over him. As the music flowed out, Sasuke could not help but sing along with his latest hit, Crash, from his newest album, Sound.

_**Feel the pressure let it go**_

_**Feel the pressure let it go**_

_**You try to buy some time**_

_**Can't read the signs or the reasons why**_

_**Every single time I could drive in blind**_

_**Can't make up my mind**_

_**I know I'm gonna find my way out**_

Sasuke turned around the corner and entered into downtown.

_**Crash you're going down without a sound**_

_**And I'll pass you up before I explode**_

_**Breaking until I'll see it through**_

_**You won't keep me down when I crash through you**_

_**So here we are right now**_

_**This is our time to cross this line**_

_**Every single time I could drive in blind**_

_**Can't make up my mind**_

_**I know I'm gonna find my way out**_

_Itachi…_

_I'm going to kill you…_

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Sakura laughed as she watched Naruto slurp up his ramen. A piece of ramen was sticking out of his mouth and his cheeks were bulging as the blonde stuffed ramen into his mouth. Sakura's eyes softened. Naruto was adorable really. Although he was clueless and quite dim most of the time, the blonde was actually a very caring and determined person.

Naruto placed his bowl onto the table. Grinning, he gestured at the door.

"Why don't you wait for me outside while I pay? It's getting quite crowded here."

Sakura smiled at him. "Sure, don't take too long."

Naruto took out his frog purse and yelled across the counter. "Hey, old man! How much is it?"

Sakura shook her head. Naruto may have matured physically, but he would still be a little kid at heart. Running a hand through her hair, she slid open the door and stepped out into the night.

A muffled thump sounded from the alley on her left. Sakura could hear stifled voices echoing and repeated thumps coming from the same direction as well. Glancing nervously at Naruto, she could see that he was still arguing with Teuchi about the price.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's antics but her breath hitched in her throat as a cry of pain reached her ears. Taking a step towards the alley, she nearly screamed as a hand clamped onto her shoulder. Whipping around, she saw that it was none other than…Naruto.

"Naruto!"

The blonde stared at her puzzledly. "Are you okay? You look quite nervous." His head snapped up as he too heard the cries from the alley. Extending a hand, he caught Sakura by the arm and pushed her gently behind him.

"Stay here, behind me, okay?" he whispered.

Receiving an affirmative nod, he crept towards the alley.

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The 18 year old stiffened as he heard barely concealed footsteps coming towards him. Melting into the shadows, leaving his victim on the ground, he held up his right hand and clenched it into a fist. Then, he spread his fingers and signalled to his right. The other four men nodded once and left the two of them alone as they made their way to the car at the other end of the alley.

The footsteps drew closer and a blonde haired boy appeared. Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance as he recognized his best friend.

Baby blue eyes widened as they saw the pool of blood around the unconscious man. Hurrying forward, he knelt down and checked the man for a pulse and Sasuke could see his shoulder sag in relief as the boy determined that the man was alive. Sasuke tensed as he saw that Naruto had reached for his phone. Deciding that it was a good time to interfere, he moved.

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Naruto gasped as he felt a hand slam onto his arm, causing him to drop his phone. Seconds later, a black boot appeared and crushed his phone, scattering the remnants everywhere.

The blonde scrambled backwards, trying to find a place where he could actually see his attacker.

"Hey! What are you doing? Get away from me!"

Panic was evident in Naruto's voice and he knew it. Struggling to remain calm, he stood up and faced his attacker.

"I'm not going to run away like a coward if that's what you're thinking. I'm actually a black belt so bring it if you've got the guts to." Naruto stated confidently.

A sinister laugh erupted from his opponent. Naruto's face darkened.

"Hey! Are you mocking me? Hey!"

He was only rewarded by another menacing laugh as the person stepped forward.

Naruto's eyes rounded as he tried to comprehend the current situation.

"S…Sasuke?"

The raven laughed once more. "Dobe."

Confusion was written all over the blonde's face. Swallowing hard, he stuttered, "S...Sasuke? Oh my god, Sasuke? I haven't seen you in two years. Where have you been?"

The smirk on the raven's face disappeared. Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall casually. "It's none of your business."

Naruto frowned. His voice grew louder and angrier. "What do you mean it's none of my business? Damn it Sasuke, you left without warning us, without telling anyone! You left us behind, abandoned us! We had no idea where you went! Don't you give a damn about us?!"

The Uchiha glanced up sharply, eyes flashing dangerously.

"No, I don't care." He bit out bitterly. "What I do with my life is my business. I don't need useless bonds with other people. They just get in the way." Pushing himself against the wall, he stepped towards Naruto, allowing the light to illuminate his face. "And what do you mean 'us'?"

A loud gasp sounded behind Naruto. Both males turned towards the source of the noise. Sasuke's frown deepened as he saw that it was…

"Sakura."

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Naruto gestured for the rosette to run away, but she pointedly ignored his warnings. Taking a breath, she said shakily, "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha growled. Today was just not his day.

Naruto turned back towards Sasuke. Balling up his fists, he said clearly, "I'm not letting you run away again. I don't know what your problem is, but we can solve it together. Come back Sasuke, come back with us."

"No."

Sakura flinched at his harsh, unwavering tone. This was not the Sasuke that she knew, not the Sasuke that she once loved. This was a completely new person. A stranger.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Naruto was coiled like a spring, ready to strike if necessary.

"Well then, I'll just have to drag your sorry ass back!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke looked at him disinterestedly. Then, in a blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Naruto. Bringing up his right arm, he bent it and smashed his elbow into Naruto's chest. The blond crashed onto the ground, skidding along the alley.

As he picked himself up painfully, Naruto shifted his right leg behind him. Launching a kick aimed at Sasuke's head, he pressed both hands onto the floor and tried to twist his left leg around as well. However, Sasuke raised his leg and buried it into Naruto's stomach, sending him flying against the wall. Running forward, Sasuke grabbed the blonde by the collar and hauled him against the wall. Tightening his grip, Sasuke hissed.

"Don't look for me anymore, I don't need friends. I don't need these _bonds_. They hinder my progress, restrict my true potential, and take away my freedom! Don't meddle with my affairs, I can handle it, I don't need your help! So stay out of this!"

Releasing his grip suddenly, Sasuke turned towards the other end of the alley and started to make his way to his car, leaving the dazed Naruto lying on the floor.

He stopped as he heard someone call out.

_Sakura…_

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Sakura ran towards Naruto. Cradling his head on her lap, she glared at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke! You're not running away again!"

The boy turned towards her. Shadows were thrown across his face, allowing Sakura to see the Uchiha's pectorals and muscular torso clearly. Swallowing to suppress her urges, Sakura stood up slowly, placing Naruto gently onto the ground. Walking slowly towards Sasuke, she pleaded, "Please come back Sasuke, please."

The raven's face was emotionless but Sakura could see the coldness in his onyx eyes.

Sasuke could feel his heart jump slightly as he watched the girl walk towards him. Sakura was wearing a sleeveless red top which hugged her body tightly and stopped just above her belly button, allowing him a brilliant view of her curves. Sasuke's eyes wandered lower involuntarily. The black mini skirt showed off her smooth, slender legs and Sasuke could feel his breathing increase slightly. Shaking himself mentally, he steeled himself for the inevitable.

"Sasuke…"

Looking at the rosette in front of him, Sasuke's heart softened for an instance. But then, his eyes hardened as he saw the pity and worry in Sakura's eyes.

Stepping forward menacingly, he watched with satisfaction as the girl looked at him hesitantly. As he took another step forward, Sakura took one backwards. This continued until Sakura found her self cornered against the wall.

The Uchiha slammed his left hand against the wall right next to her head. Sakura swallowed nervously and licked her lips.

Sasuke could not help but notice the way her cheeks flushed slightly as her breathing increased. He could not help but notice the way her breath was caressing his cheek and more importantly, the way his body was pressed against her. Sasuke could feel his self control slowly slip through his fingers. He had to stop this now or else he would never be able to beat Itachi.

Grimacing, his right hand clenched into a fist. Raising it, he brought it down.

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke's fist descended towards her face.

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**Well, here's an extra long chapter. I will update maybe late January because I have exams during January and I need to study during Christmas.**

**BUT, good news is that, the long awaited PROPER kiss (not like that little on in the hospital) between Sasuke and Sakura will appear in the next chapter! Woot! Stay tuned if you want so more romance between this awesome pairing!**

**OH YEAH, feel free to send me song suggestions people!**

**Wolfy**


	13. Enjoy the Silence

**Don't own Naruto (Masashi Kishimoto) or the song, it's owned by Depeche Mode, but if you want to listen to it here it is**

**.com/watch?v=xJUgcAluqWM**** (it's by my fav editor and the best editor you'll ever find anywhere)**

**I'm sorry for the late update, I had exams till the 16****th**** *sigh*, so I'd like you to give me some suggestions on**

**Songs I could use**

**Whether you would prefer me to update regularly each week with one chapter? Or update whenever possible, which can be earlier or later? And if you choose the first, you'll have to wait while I stock up chapters so that if I get stuck, you still get chapters.**

**I think I read the "worth it" thing somewhere so sorry if I copied you or anything but I love that idea and I can't remember where it's from, so credits to the person who first thought of it and if you want your name here, give me your fic and name and I'll credit you =3 Best wishes XD**

**Enjoy the Silence**

There was nothing. No pain, no impact, no shout of pain. Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat as she realized that she was holding her breath. Shaking slightly as confusion settled in, she slowly cracked open her eyes.

_What…?_

The rosette gasped slightly as she saw Sasuke's fists inches from her face. She could see the raven's fists trembling as Sasuke fought to restrain himself. Lifting her head, she stared into the Uchiha's eyes. Anger, relief, anguish fought against one another as Sasuke tried to come to terms with his feelings.

_Why…why can't I do it?_

Sasuke struggled to continue to push his arm forward but somewhere in his heart, he knew that he could not. The raven could feel the sweat pouring down his face and his torso as he noticed the tears forming in the girl's piercing, green eyes. Stumbling backwards, his hands loosely by his side, his eyes widened as the previous events caught up with him.

_Sakura…_

Sasuke could not help but notice how the rosette's chest heaved as her lips parted slightly in shock. Locking his tormented gaze onto her, he took a step forward. Sakura's eyes widened as she said in a shaky voice, "What…what are you doing?"

Sasuke smirked at the tremor in her voice as he stopped in front of her. Raising a hand, he brushed a lock of pink hair out of Sakura's face. Then, he placed his hand under her chin as he lifted up her face so that their eyes locked. Onxy onto emerald green.

Flashes of the Uchiha's time with Sakura at school ran through his mind. Swallowing, Sasuke kept his face impassive as his dark gaze shifted onto the rosette's ruby lips.

"Get away from me."

The harsh words hit the raven hard. Shifting slightly, the raven narrowed his eyes as Sakura raised her hands and pressed them against his chest. Sasuke did not move as the rosette tried in vain to push him away.

What was she doing? She was pushing him away. Rejecting him. A tinge of annoyance and regret wormed its way into his heart as he asked himself mentally why he left two years ago.

"What do you want Sasuke? What is it that you want?"

Sasuke winced inwardly as he heard the desperation and hurt in Sakura's voice. Pushing his self loathing deep down into the back of his mind, he murmured gently as he raised his hands and cupped them against her face.

"What I should have done two years ago."

Sasuke leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers. Sakura was momentarily in shock but she relaxed as she felt Sasuke bite gently onto her lower lip as he asked for permission to enter. Sasuke felt his hands moving lower as they encircled the rosette's frail body.

Pulling her closer, Sasuke pressed his body against her and he could feel the warm pulsing of her heart against his muscular chest. His tongue slowly moved forward as it explored the dark cavern and he could feel pleasurable shivers run down his spine. He growled slightly as Sakura weaved her fingers through his raven locks and he pressed down harder as he felt a tightening in his pants.

Sasuke could feel his body warming as Sakura slipped her leg behind his and locked it into place. All sense of time was lost and all the Uchiha could think of was how much he wanted Sakura.

Pulling back slightly, he trailed hot kisses down her neck and smirked in delight as Sakura let out a throaty moan. Pausing at the nape of her neck, he sucked lightly on her skin and he growled softly as Sakura threw back her head and gasped as her senses were overridden. Lifting his head, Sasuke encircled the rosette's slim wrists with his hands and pinned them above her head. Breathing deeply, he leaned forward.

A rustling next to him startled the Uchiha. His head snapped to the side and he noticed Naruto stirring. Releasing Sakura hurriedly, he backed away in a daze.

"You're with the dobe?" he whispered.

Picking up his discarded shirt, he licked his lips and took off in the direction of his car.

Sakura could only stare after him bewilderedly, wondering what had just happened. In her confusion, she did not see the tightening of Sasuke's fist on his shirt.

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Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. Trust the dobe to ruin the moment.

Wrenching open his door in frustration, he slipped into his car and slammed the door with unnecessary force. Throwing his shirt to the back seat, he slammed his foot onto the gas pedal as the Sound Four copied him.

Sasuke turned on his stereo.

_**Words like violence  
Break the silence  
Come crashing in  
Into my little world  
Painful to me  
Pierce right through me  
Can't you understand  
Oh my little girl**_

_Those green orbs, her heaving chest, parted lips…it drives me crazy…_

_**All I ever wanted  
All I ever needed  
Is here in my arms  
Words are very unnecessary  
They can only do harm**_

_Why did I ever leave…?_

_**Vows are spoken  
To be broken  
Feelings are intense  
Words are trivial  
Pleasures remain  
So does the pain  
Words are meaningless  
And forgettable**_

Sasuke laughed humourlessly. Guess he wasn't as cold hearted or detached as he thought he was. This wasn't good, he would never get his revenge on Itachi if this continued.

_**All I ever wanted  
All I ever needed  
Is here in my arms  
Words are very unnecessary  
They can only do harm**_

The corner of his lips twitched upwards. He knew that he would regret it later, but for now, he didn't care. All he could think about was a certain pink haired ex classmate. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaled slowly and smiled genuinely for the first time in two years. Two words rang through his mind,

_Worth it…_

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**Fairly short chapter but…I spent ages on the kissing scene cuz I don't really have experience in that aspect if you get my drift and I had to ask ppl about it and read about it XD and I have to think about the next plot twist and incorporate it like the manga XD I just love plot twists…**


	14. Circles

**Don't own Naruto =3 ****Don't own Circles by Hollywood Undead either. Ahh I promise that I'll go back to The Next Generation and maybe Gangs of Konoha High AFTER I finish It's Already over, oh my gosh, I just love writing It's Already Over XD**

**For the song and brilliant amv by a friend of mine, please go to ****.com/syllver77**** and her circles sasusaku amv should be there, damn that thing is awesome and so worth it, so be sure to check it out. And yes, it did give me inspiration XD**

**I am ****.com/wolfteam000**** so check me out as well XD**

_You're with the dobe?_

He splashed cold water onto his face. His grip tightened on the basin as he stared blankly at the sink. The water trickled down the side of his face as his long bangs obscured his eyes. Breathing heavily, he straightened up and turned off the tap. Running his eyes over his muscular torso, his eyes paused briefly on his chest.

_Can I learn to love again?_

His eyes narrowed in displeasure. His heart was clenching painfully and he could feel a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew that he was falling fast, fast into love.

_I can't kill Itachi like this…I need to stop this right now…__but…I…just…CAN'T…_

A resounding knock woke the raven from his thoughts. Shoulders heaving with fury, the man could feel his body warming up at this intrusion. His nostrils flared as he let his self control slip through his fingers.

_Need…to…break all__ these bonds…_

A loud crash echoed along the empty corridors. The door opened tentatively, revealing a gray haired man with glasses. Onyx eyes flashed dangerously. If looks could kill, Kabuto's body would be riddled with bullets.

Extending a finger, the medic pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "Orochimaru-sama wants you to report to him about the mission," he bit out. Smirking slightly, he glanced pointedly at the shards of mirror on the floor and at Sasuke's bleeding fist.

At that point, the Uchiha lost all composure and restraint as he smashed his fist against his associate's jaw. Ignoring the crack that sounded as a result of Kabuto's broken jaw, Sasuke swung his other arm upwards before bending and ramming his elbow straight into the man's face. Blood spurted out as a crack signified that the Uchiha had broken the medic's nose.

Sasuke turned around as Kabuto stumbled backwards, clutching his broken nose in pain. Whipping around, the raven crouched in front of him. Pressing his left hand onto the floor, Sasuke brought his right leg up and put all his anger and frustration into his attack. Kabuto's head snapped upwards and his glasses clattered onto the floor as Sasuke's foot came into contact with his chin, sending him flying across the room.

Slowly standing up, Sasuke walked forward.

"Don't…disturb…me…again, or else I'll kill you." He breathed.

The gray haired man stared dumbly at the Uchiha, nodded once and scrambled out of the room without even stopping to pick up his glasses.

As Kabuto made his way back along the corridor, an ear splitting howl tore apart the thick silence.

_**Take my hand lets go,  
Somewhere we can rest our souls.  
We'll sit where it's warm,  
You say look we're here alone.**_

The Uchiha could not take it any more. He had tried to rid of his emotions, hoping in vain that it would help him concentrate on his training, concentrate on his hatred, concentrate on killing Itachi. But that little encounter with _her_ tore everything apart, ruined two years of hard work.

The raven's hands grew rigid with fury and frustration. Lifting his shaking hands, he clutched his head in pain as he felt his heart break apart inside. Scars that ran deep and that could never heal.

_**I was running in circles,  
I hurt myself,  
Just to find my purpose.**_

Everything was so worthless,  
I didn't deserve this,  
But to me you were perfect.

Sasuke let out a strangled cry as he threw back his head. Stumbling backwards slightly as he willed himself to control himself, he slammed against the wall.

_**I'm scattered through this life.  
If this is life I'll say good bye.**_

She's gone like an angel,  
With wings let me burn tonight.

_I can't have a life with her. I gave up my right the moment I realized the truth. This is my destiny. I am an avenger…_

_**In a world so, so godless and thoughtless,  
I don't know how we wrought this,  
All the love that you brought us.**_

It feels like I'm killin myself.  
Just wheelin myself.  
Just to pray for some help.

_It doesn't have to be this way…I don't have to do this…I could have her if I could just let go of the past._

_**I'd give it all just to have, have your eternity.  
Cause it's all that assures me.  
It's worth all that hurts me.**_

Breathing heavily, the raven clutched at the front of his shirt. Sweat poured down his face. Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes, he slipped his hands into his pocket and extracted a switchblade. Releasing the catch, the knife glistened in the light.

_**I'd give you my heart,  
And let you just hold it.  
I'd give you my soul,  
But I already sold it.**_

On that day  
The day I walked away in December.  
I will always remember.  
I'll regret it forever.

_This needs to end here…_

Closing his eyes, he flung the knife against the door, embedding it in the woodwork.

_**I've gone away,  
Seen better times in yesterday **_

_**I hurt myself  
It's hard to say,  
That everything will be okay **_

_**I hurt myself**_

_Itach__i or Sakura?_

Sasuke cursed himself mentally at his indecision.

_**I hurt myself…**_

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The snake like man let out a low chuckle as the Uchiha entered his quarters.

"I hear you caused quite a commotion a while ago," he leered at the raven. "You need to keep your emotions in check," he paused slightly before continuing, "or else you will never achieve your goal."

Sasuke's face was emotionless. "I have them under control. Now what do you want?" he snarled.

Orochimaru wheezed menacingly. "I feel that you've been distracted lately. You're not focusing and you tend to lose control."

The raven tensed. Shifting slightly, he growled impatiently, "I got it."

Orochimaru folded his arms and leaned against the door. "No, you're not. That's why I need you to get yourself together." His eyes glistened with thirst. "I want you to prove yourself."

Sasuke scoffed. "Like what?"

A long, thin tongue slid out. The pale man licked his lips greedily. "I want you to get rid of _her_."

_Sakura…_

A flash of shock flitted across the Uchiha's face.

_It can't be…he knows…_

Sasuke fought to keep his face impassive as his mentor smirked triumphantly and pointed out, "This will prove your worth if you can succeed. Will you take it?"

"Where…is Kabuto?"

Orochimaru looked at the raven curiously. "He's out on an errand." Lifting his hand, he tucked a strand of greasy hair behind his ear. His fang like earring sparkled in the dim light. "He seemed pretty stunned when he passed on my message to you." The snake like man threw back his head and laughed maliciously.

Sasuke turned around. Pushing against the door gently, he closed his eyes briefly as he heard the door shut with a tiny click. With his back to Orochimaru, he murmured quietly, "Good…"

His mentor did not hear him, nor did he see the smirk which graced the Uchiha's face. Sasuke looked up slowly, still facing the door. Slipping his hand casually into his pockets, he turned back to face Orochimaru.

"Get rid of _her_?" Sasuke's forehead creased slightly. Extracting his hands, he lifted them quickly.

A flash illuminated the room for a second as two senbon needles flew across the room. Orochimaru's eyes widened and he lifted his arms to block the attack instinctively. Red, hot blood trickled slowly down his pale skin as the senbons embedded themselves into the man's hands, pinning both of them together.

Sasuke smirked. "Maybe not…" He stepped forward with a knife in his hand. "I'd rather dispose of useless obstacles like you first." The Uchiha grasped the weapon tighter. "After all, you've outlived your usefulness."

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**There we go, I'm trying to update weekly**** on Saturday, so yeah!**


	15. Fearless

**Don't own Naruto or Fearless by Falling Up *gasp* another amv from another friend of mine! ****.com/watch?v=GeiuRr_BVhI&feature=channel_page**** lol, another inspiration, thanks Nicky!**

"Is Naruto alright?"

Sakura smiled wearily at the silver haired man. "Yes, he's fine. He just needs some rest."

Kakashi's only exposed eye creased upwards. "That's good." His smile faltered slightly as he ventured forward. "What exactly happened?"

The rosette turned to her left and gazed out of the open window. Kakashi sighed and moved forward. He placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "It's Sasuke, isn't it?"

Sakura nodded quietly and turned around to face Kakashi. Her haunted eyes bore into his. "Yes. We came across each other that night and…and Naruto got into a fight with Sasuke…"

Kakashi's shoulders fell and his grip tightened around Sakura's shoulder. "That boy…" He ruffled his silver hair before letting out a sigh of exasperation. "Sakura," he murmured, "Sasuke…he's…well he's troubled you know? And from what I heard about you and him, well, he's starting to reach out." Kakashi smiled gently. "Help him, won't you?"

Sakura looked at Kakashi curiously. "How…did you know what happened between us? And…what do you mean he's troubled?"

With his lower face covered by a black mask and his left eye covered by a headband, Sakura could not tell how Kakashi was feeling, but her heart sank as Kakashi lowered his head slightly.

"You mean, he didn't tell you?" Kakashi whispered.

Sakura shook her head, eyes wide. What was going on? Sasuke, troubled and beating up people? This was like a nightmare, like a movie gone wrong. Sakura rose from Naruto's bedside and grasped at Kakashi's arm. "What is it? Tell me Kakashi, please." The last bit was said in a hushed voice, almost pleading.

Kakashi did not respond immediately. Instead, he leaned on the windowsill and gazed out the window. He bowed his head as the cool breeze ruffled his silver hair. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply.

"Kakashi…?"

The man's forehead creased in frustration. He straightened up before reaching into his jacket's right pocket. Slipping his hand into the pocket, he extracted a small disc. Spinning it casually, he nodded once at Sakura and tossed it to her.

"Here. This is one of his earlier demos, you can have it."

Sakura glanced at the disc. "You still haven't answered my question Kakashi," she pointed out.

Kakashi threw his hand up in defeat. "Guess you should know," he mumbled. "Come on," he gestured towards the door. "We can talk about it outside."

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Orochimaru flinched as he pulled out the knife with his teeth. Spitting the weapon onto the floor, he snarled at the raven.

"You are weak, Sasuke. You honestly cannot hope to defeat me, you little punk."

Sasuke smirked. "I _was_ weak, that is why I sought you." He twirled his knife expertly. "But not anymore," the Uchiha ralied, "Geniuses like you pale in comparison to the Uchihas."

Orochimaru chuckled as he pulled out two twin blades from his boots. "Says the leftover Uchiha."

The raven's face remained emotionless. "You are nothing but a former shell of yourself." He flourished his blade. "So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

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Sakura slipped the demo into the car's CD player. Kakashi eased the BMW out of the hospital's car park and cruised casually along the driveway. His knuckles were white with anxiety and the tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

_**Empty house far away.  
Lost in lonely space.  
You know you've felt the same.  
From the shallows in love,**_

_**To the depths of your scars.  
You know you want to change.**_

As the music started, Kakashi accelerated before speaking in a low tone.

"Sasuke's past is very dark. His parents and relatives, well basically the whole clan, disappeared one night. Just vanished into thin air. It was only two years ago that he finally found Itachi."

Sakura's eyes were wide as she absorbed the information. So Sasuke was really related to Itachi after all. But…this didn't make sense. Her body tensed. The girl looked stunned as she spoke with a tremor. "What happened?"

_**In the rafters a vate, fixed and spinning late.  
There is a certain fear.  
Even light with control, lights outside our homes.  
Wait for every tear.**_

Kakashi swerved slightly. Sticking up his middle finger out of the window at another driver, he continued. "Well, it turns out Itachi…was the reason behind their disappearance. They…got into a fight and Sasuke has left ever since."

A gasp escaped from Sakura's lips. Kakashi glanced at her before concentrating on driving. The rosette had a right to know. She was the only one who could help Sasuke. The only one who _could_ understand him. The only one who Sasuke cared, well to an extent, about.Kakashi shook his head sadly.

_**So exit the fall, and now it's over.  
Your learning.  
It's all before your heart.**_

_**So exit the fall, and now it's over.  
Your learning.  
It's all before your heart.**_

"Sakura," he chided gently. The girl looked at him nervously. He chuckled humourlessly at her expression. Slowing the car to a stop, he turned to his right to face her. Reaching up to his face, Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his left eye. Before Sakura could say anything, he reached behind his head and ripped off his mask. Sakura could only stare at him in shock.

"Not a pretty sight, yeah?" Kakashi murmured.

_**Steady hands in the plains, **_

_**Calculated ways**_

_**To call it ailing in figure.  
Hearts far away**_

_**When you work so late **_

_**From a distant end**_

The silver haired man had a long, vertical scar running across his left eye and the iris was blood red with three strange patches of black. There were horrible burn marks covering the entire lower part of his face and the skin was stretched tightly, giving it a pinkish glow. Sakura's heart was beating so loudly that she was sure Kakashi could hear it. Slowly, she asked, "What…?"

Kakashi adjusted his headband and put his mask back on before responding. "I was the jounin assigned to look after the Uchiha clan. We received intelligence that there was danger threatening them." He smiled wryly and spat out bitterly. "Looks like Itachi _was_ the danger."

_**Your learning it's all before your heart…Sasuke**_

Kakashi started the car again. "We got into a fight, just him and I. Itachi was the genius and pride of the Uchiha clan, we had no idea that things would turn out this way. I lowered my guard and he took me by surprise." His eyes narrowed in anger. " He was aiming for my head but I just managed to sidestep the attack, so he got my eye. I nearly lost my sight because of that. In the end, I lost, obviously, and when I woke up in the hospital, it was already over, you know?" He exhaled noisily, "Turned out he had torched the whole compound as well". His hand rubbed unconsciously against his face. "I was assigned to look after Sasuke ever since, in case Itachi came back to finish the job." Slapping the steering wheel lightly, he continued softly, "Rumours are that it was an Akatsuki job."

_Akatsuki, the most notorious gang in the whole of Konoha…rumours are that it was an Akatsuki job…_

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	16. Colours

**Don't own Naruto or Colours by Crossfade. Another brilliant amv editor and friend, ****.com/killerkunoichi**** (I'm gonna try to promote one for each chapter) if you could check her out, that would make my day, seriously it would, I would be very happy XD if you got a yt account, drop us a line or sub lol =3**

The two slammed into each other, both struggling to push the other back. Sasuke's knife was pressed horizontally against his mentor's twin blades and the stalemate continued until the raven suddenly dropped to the ground. Orochimaru's blades swung forward in an arc as Sasuke used the momentum to bring his leg around from behind, tripping the pale man.

What the Uchiha did not account for was that instead of tumbling to the ground like he expected Orochimaru to, the man used the blades as leverage to support him. As the gleaming blade stabbed onto the floor, Sasuke managed to flip backwards. Skidding across the floor, he flung his knife at his opponent.

Orochimaru only had ample time to fall onto the ground to avoid the attack. Lifting his head, he was met with a crushing blow to the side of his head as Sasuke smashed his knee against the man's temples, sending the man flying across the room.

Kicking at the discarded blades on the floor, Sasuke sent them sliding across the room into the corner before pulling off his shirt. Throwing it against the wall, he flexed his fingers and advanced towards Orochimaru. The man stood up shakily. Eyes narrow with fury, the snake like man clenched his fists. With incredible speed, the older man surged forward, intent on destroying his student.

A flurry of punches and kicks were exchanged as neither could gain the upper hand. Orochimaru was tiring and Sasuke knew that he needed to end this quickly in case Kabuto came back. The corner of his lips tightened as he came up with a plan.

Leaping backwards, Sasuke landed at a safe distance from his opponent. Orochimaru took this as an opportunity to streak towards the corner to retrieve his weapons. Cursing himself mentally as he realized his mistake, Sasuke mirrored Orochimaru's movement. Wrenching out his knife which was embedded on the wall, he turned around to find that Orochimaru was running towards him, blades glistening in the dim light.

A blur speeded to meet the man and the both of them clashed. A sickening squelch echoed across the room and time seemed to stop. An eerie silence descended unto the room. Then slowly, as if in slow motion, the heavy dripping of blood could be heard.

Sasuke's eyes were wide with shock, pain etched into every fibre of his face. With a cough, blood splattered onto Orochimaru's face. Tremors rocked the raven's entire body. Ironically, his mentor was immobile as if he were frozen. The Uchiha's free hand was shaking badly as he reached upwards for one of the blades that were protruding from just below his ribcage. Grasping at it, he held it in place as he backed away, stumbling. His right hand's hold on his knife loosened as he steadied himself. Glaring at Orochimaru, he coughed once more, blood pouring from his mouth. Grimacing with pain, he fell onto his knee, his trousers slowly soaking up the blood. Gasping for air, Sasuke gripped the other blade. It had gone right through his left shoulder, narrowly missing his shoulder blade. Bracing himself for the agony, he pulled it out. A scream of pain echoed across the room.

Sweat was pouring from every pore of his body and he was breathing heavily, shoulders heaving as he struggled to suppress the pain. Weary eyes locked onto snake like ones as the raven smirked. Smirked at the sight of his knife protruding from the man's throat. Smirked at the defeat of his mentor. Smirked at his victory.

Staggering to his feet, he picked up his discarded shirt and ripped it into two. Tying both pieces tightly to his wounds, he applied pressure onto his abdomen before limping out of the door.

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Leaning against the car door, Sasuke slumped downwards, gasping desperately as he fought to stay conscious. Twisting around painfully, he opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. Dragging his bloodied hand across his face, the raven wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Wearily, he opened the car drawer and took out a bottle of alcohol. Unscrewing the lid, he tipped the contents onto his torso, hissing as the alcohol sent shockwaves of pain coursing through his veins. Dropping the empty bottle onto the passenger seat next to him, Sasuke rummaged through the drawer, eventually pulling out a needle and a thread.

_Damn this…_

Sasuke's mind was still in shock. He couldn't fully comprehend that he had just killed someone, yet it felt so hollow, so cold, so…empty. He bit his lips bitterly. He was doing this for Sakura…yet that was not his goal. He needed to kill Itachi, why did he care about anyone else? The Uchiha gritted his teeth. He was straying from his goal and he knew that it was because of a …certain cherry blossom. Brows furrowing in contempt, he hit the CD player to take his mind off the matter. His favourite CD clicked into play.

_**Can you feel it crush you? **_

_**Does it seem to bring the worst in you out?  
There's no running away from **_

_**These things that hold you down**_

_**Do they complicate you **_

_**Because they make you feel like this?  
Of all the colors that you've shined**_

_**This is surely not your best**_

_**  
**_Sasuke's heart sank as his mind recognized the meanings of the song but he concentrated on stopping the blood flow as he stitched up his wounds. He could deal with his conscience later.

_**I know you feel alone, yeah, **_

_**And no one else can figure you out  
But don't you ever turn away **_

_**From the ones that help you down?  
Well they'd love to save you. **_

_**Don't you know they love to see you smile?  
But these colors that you've shined are surely not your style**_

Snarling slightly in frustration, Sasuke contemplated turning the music off but in the end, muttered incoherently under his breath about trying to let it all out and get over it.

_**I know you're feeling like you're lost  
But you should know these colors that you're shining are  
I know you're feeling like you're lost,  
You feel you've drifted way too far  
Did you know these colors that you're shining are  
Surely not the best**_

_**Surely not the best.**_

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Sakura lay on her back as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke and Kakashi. She shuddered slightly. She had no idea about the boy's tragic past, did not know about his pain, never understood his mind. The rosette chewed her lower lip nervously as she tried to reassure herself that Sasuke was alright. Turning onto her side, she sat up and picked up the photo frame which was on her bedside table. Running her delicate fingers over the photo, she traced the three figures one by one. The corner of her lips twitched upwards briefly as she remembered the circumstances of which the photo was taken.

"_Why do we have to take a photo Kakashi?" bellowed Naruto._

_The silver haired jounin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well Naruto, I thought it would be nice to, you know, have something to remember everyone by. After all, Sasuke is very picky when it comes to choosing friends."_

_The raven grunted in annoyance but chose to ignore the statement. "Hn. Why do I have to stand next to the dobe?"_

_An indignant cry could be heard. "What? Who are you calling dobe, teme?"_

"_What? Are you hard of hearing?"_

"_Teme!"_

_Sakura glanced exasperatedly at Kakashi. The two boys were best friends of sixteen years old, yet both bickered like six year old children. Kakashi just smiled knowingly at Sakura before turning back to the two arguing boys. Planting a firm hand on each of their shoulders, he steered them apart._

_Casually, he interjected wryly, "Now, now children, play nicely." Both boys shot him an irritated look but Kakashi just raised his eyebrows, "Why don't you two stand on both sides of Sakura, how's that sound?"_

_Sasuke looked away annoyed. He was trying his best to reassure himself that he did not like the girl, after all, he was an Uchiha. Disgruntled, he shoved his hands into his pocket, ignoring the blatant glare and death aura emitting from a certain blonde._

_Kakashi positively beamed as he stood behind the children as the camera shutter clicked._

Sakura leaned backwards, flopping onto her backside as the bed creaked under the strain. Sighing, she whispered, "What happened to us…?"

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**If you guys haven't noticed, I've changed my writing style slightly. Instead of just skimming the plot, I'm trying to get into the character, into their minds, their feelings because that's how the writers write theirs for the ffs which I love. So, I'm trying to get more into the "feel" of the characters, especially Sasuke and Sakura. You may also notice that the story is now moving more in Sasuke's POV, yeah? I thought that readers would find it easier to understand him now. I usually have the whole story plotted out so I really want to just write the plot out blandly but I'm restraining myself to get the feelings and thoughts out. I have the ending thought out, brilliant twist – so exciting, but I need to think about the middle, so it's a bit hard at the moment to get this chapter and the next moving lol. Anyway, some awesome fics you may like**

**Blind by ObsidianSickle**

**Ripples by YellowMask (I'm not sure about the author, but it's something like that)**

**The Contentious Heart by elle6778**

**Colour Theory by (I can't remember lol)**

**Little Green Leaf by NinjaShen (Not sure about author)**

**YaHo by TacoCat (not sure about both sorry XD)**


	17. Someday

**Don't own Naruto**** or Someday by Crossfade**

"Three members of the notorious gang Akatsuki, has been killed in crossfire between four ANBU members. They were identified only as Kakuzu, Hidan and Kisame Hoshigaki."

Sakura picked up the remote and increased the volume as she jumped onto the sofa.

"The Konoha police alleged that Kakuzu and Hidan had come across police officer, Asuma Sarutobi, and after being asked to produce identity cards, Hidan shot Sarutobi point blank, killing him instantly."

Sakura's eyes widened as Kakashi's words rang in her ears.

_Akatsuki…they say it was an Akatsuki job…_

"ANBU was called in after witnesses reported gun fire and they engaged in a shooting spree with the two gang members. However, they were joined by two more members, one of which was identified as Kisame Hoshigaki. Hoshigaki was killed with the first two members but his unknown partner escaped. However, Konoha police suspect that it is the Akatsuki's third in command, Itachi Uchiha."

_Itachi…Uchiha…disappearance of the clan…Sasuke_

Sakura sat up abruptly, the sound of the television buzzing in the background as her ears gradually tuned out the noise. Her heart was pounding frantically as she grabbed the phone from the table. Dialling quickly, she pressed the receiver against her ear urgently. The rosette bit her lower lip nervously as she waited for the phone to connect.

"Hello?"

"Kakashi!"

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_Fallen into pieces…_

He leaned against the wall as he stared up into the sky. Glistening droplets of rain fell daintily as he ran a hand gently through his raven locks, eyes sparkling. The white shirt was now completely soaked and water trickled down his face, arching at the bridge of his nose as it continued its journey downwards.

_Make a choice now…choose…_

The soft patter of rain on the pavement echoed along the empty street. The broken man fell onto his knees, hands clenched painfully into fists. His vision blurred slightly as the rain glanced briefly across his eyes, or was it his tears he could not tell.

_I can't…_

Sasuke lowered his head as he placed both hands onto the ground. Breathing heavily, he could feel his heart racing with apprehension. The conflict, the turmoil, it was agonizing. He hated this, hated this so damn much.

_Love?__ Or hate?_

Lifting his hands face up, he stared at them in wonder. The relentless pounding echoed in his ears, his breathing laboured. Onyx eyes creased painfully as pain, regret, guilt and hate wormed its way into the Uchiha's cold heart. A hand moved upwards towards his heart, hesitating as the fingers touched the front of his shirt in front of it, before gripping the coarse fabric tightly.

A hysterical yet humourless chuckle erupted from the man's chest. Sasuke Uchiha, also known as SharinganWarrior, heartthrob of Konoha High and world famous singer, was now nothing but a crumbled wreck, a broken man. And all because of a girl. A girl who had unwittingly stolen his heart in the midst of chaos and turmoil. Standing up shakily, Sasuke ignored the downpour as he walked towards his car, a silver BMW.

Tortured eyes hardened slightly as they peered from underneath the long bangs. He was an Uchiha, an avenger. He could achieve the impossible, things that no man could ever hope to accomplish. Yet, he couldn't choose between two paths. One leading towards pain and destruction, one towards love and hope. It was ironic, really.

Grabbing the cap from the seat, he slammed the door shut and locked the car. Maybe a walk would clear his mind.

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"Yep, I'm working on it, don't worry Sakura." Kakashi reassured the rosette before prompting, "In the meantime, why don't you um…think about your plans for tomorrow? After all, it is Valentine's Day."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right. But I think Naruto has to help Iruka sensei with something tomorrow…" Her voice trailed off.

A sigh reached her ears. "Well…" Kakashi conceded reluctantly, "I hope you have fun tomorrow anyway."

Sakura glanced wearily out the window, watching the rain fall from the dark sky.

_Heaven's tears…tears of sorrow…tears of pain…tears of regret_

"Yeah, you too Kakashi, you too."

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The raven's heart clenched as a lump formed in his throat. Gazing at the ornament, his footsteps faltered slightly. The necklace was platinum silver, but that was not what had caught his eye. The silver, heart shaped pendant hanging from it was gorgeous as it lay sparkling brilliantly under the light. It was slightly elongated with pink diamonds encrusted on the frame and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what it would be to be able to put this around a certain rosette's neck on Valentine's Day.

His hand closed around the door handle hesitantly.

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_Valentine's Day…_

The man pulled his cap lower, so that his raven bangs pressed hard against his face, covering his eyes. He donned a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a pair of muscular but scarred arms. Reaching up to his neck, his long, slender fingers gripped the silver necklace absently. Tracing the hollow silver fan hanging from the silver chain, he stared deep into his shot of sake as if he were drowning in his thoughts.

The Uchiha had sent the box to the rosette's house early in the morning and he still didn't know whether this attachment was what he wanted, what he needed. Was this how his life was meant to be? He didn't know, and a small part of him deep inside told him that he didn't want to know.

Sasuke gripped the cup tightly, brows furrowed in displeasure. He could not deny it. He was in love with Sakura, and this infuriated him to no end. He could not live like this, could not live in love and hate, yet he could not choose his path. In order to succeed, Sasuke knew that he could only live his love in hate, but that could not stop him from loving the annoying girl that he had met two years ago, and only just started to love. Fate was indeed very cruel. It had taken away his family, his clan and now, the only person who meant something to him.

Downing the sake, he exhaled deeply as he leaned against the bar. Music drifted slowly to his ears. Frowning, he turned towards the television perched in the corner of the room.

_**Someday I'll talk about it,  
One day I'll mention it to you.  
Someday I'll be over this,  
And strong like you  
I'm never changing,  
I can feel this way for days and days  
Look you straight in the face and fake my smile**_

_I know this…_

_**  
Take this hurt away,  
Bring back yesterday,  
I could say sorry,  
In a thousand ways,  
You won't let this be,  
Without cutting me,  
I can't put this bottle down,  
As I watch this day fade into night  
**_

Eyes widening ever so slightly, he realized that he was staring at a music video of himself.

_**My blessings,  
My faults,  
I've learned all the lessons,  
That cannot be taught,  
Any abuses,  
That I've brought,  
No more excuses,  
I want a new start**_

Sasuke remembered the song. It was written two years ago, just before he met…_Sakura_..._****_

With all our lies  
There's no wondering why  
Things aren't working anymore  
But now I'm feeling fine,  
Flying higher,  
Got the chance to start again.

But the Uchiha knew that it was all a lie. He would never get the chance to start again, and damn, he was far from feeling fine! Eyes narrowing dangerously, his grip tightened and he could actually feel the small cup give way slightly. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he released the cup and stood up. Feeling for his wallet in his navy blue Evisu jeans, he extracted a few bills and threw them on the counter.

Standing up slowly, he surveyed the bar. There were groups of men huddled in the corners, smoking profusely as if their lives weren't short enough. Out of the corner of his eye, he could also see two scantily dressed girls surrounded by young men, all who were offering to buy them drinks. Sasuke scoffed. What a bunch of pathetic losers. Suddenly, a flash of black and red caught his attention.

Peering from under his cap, Sasuke stiffened visibly as he recognized the man's long cloak as an Akatsuki's. Black cloak with red linings running down the seams and patterned with red clouds, the raven could feel the murderous aura slowly ozzing out and radiate from his body.

_Perfect…time to find out where Itachi is…_

The Akatsuki member slipped out the backdoor and Sasuke followed him. Opening the door by a fraction, he could see the man glancing around before hurrying across the road. Allowing the man a few seconds head start, the Uchiha mirrored his movements.

The Akatsuki member slowed down as he reached a dark alleyway. Kneeling by the door, he flipped open a number lock pad located just beside the door and entered the code. Sasuke smirked slightly. Although it was too dark for him to see, Orochimaru had trained the Uchiha to recognize the sounds of the buttons, not to mention the fact that the alley was so silent that every bit of noise could be heard extremely clearly.

The Akatsuki member closed the cover and melted into the shadows. After a while, the younger Uchiha did the same.

Sasuke knew that he could be walking straight into a trap, but this was too good an opportunity for him to pass up.

_It doesn't matter, I won't die before I kill Itachi…I am…an avenger…_

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The doorbell rang. Trudging towards the door, the girl rubbed her eyes sleepily. Gazing blearily at the man at her door, she wondered what he wanted. The man held out a clipboard and a pen.

"A package for Miss Sakura Haruno."

Sakura nodded dumbly. "I am Sakura Haruno."

"Well, would you please sign this?"

Sakura compiled and in return, received a small parcel. Bidding the man a good day, she closed the door lightly and shuffled into the living room. Flopping onto the sofa, she weighed the parcel in her hands curiously. Setting it onto her lap carefully, she was taken aback at the fact that there was no address or name of the sender. Puzzled, she opened the parcel. Inside was a small, square, velvet box with a small piece of paper stuck underneath it. Sakura's heart fluttered in anticipation. It couldn't be from Naruto, he preferred to give her gifts in person rather than through the post. Racking her brain furiously, she huffed slightly as she gave up guessing.

Pulling the piece of paper from the box, she flipped it over. There was nothing written on it except for the initials SU. The rosette looked up bewildered. SU? Who was that?

Setting the note aside for the moment, her fingers undid the clasp and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a silver platinum heart shaped pendent, the frame which was encrusted with pink diamonds.

_SU…_

Her eyes widened as realization hit her.

_Sasuke Uchiha…_

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**Wow, this is longer compared to the others. I took ages on it! I felt that this was a good place for me to stop though, you know? Anyway! Today's person I want you to check out is…**

**.com/mightuchaaaan**

**.com/mightuchaaaaan**** (backup account)**

**.com/mightuchanloveschu**** (beta account)**

**She is the best editor in the WORLD! I mean it! BEST EDITOR IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD! Anime or not, and this is A FACT!!! She is unbelievably talented and damn, I love that girl's works! All time fav!!!! Woot!**


	18. Crush

**Don't own Naruto!!! Right…how many billion times have I said that already?**** Neither do I own Crush by David Archuleta. Ahh, writer's block is starting to come =3 expect slower updates XD**

_**Love is a battlefield but that**__** doesn't mean it should be an all out war. ~lilnarusasu**_

**Crush**

Sakura scrolled down the list of songs before selecting one randomly, shrugging dismissively. A lonely piano solo started and Sakura could feel her heart sink as her thoughts once again drifted to a certain Uchiha when she recognized the song to be from _Sound_.

_**I hung up the phone tonight**_

_**Something happened for the first time**_

_**Deep inside, **_

_**there's a rush, what a rush**_

Since that fateful night when Sasuke had sent her the necklace, the rosette could not help but feel hurt that Sasuke valued their friendship so little but instead, chose to walk away from the important people in his life and walk the path of destruction.

_**Cuz the possibility**_

_**That you would ever feel the same way**_

_**About me,**_

_**Is just**__** too much, just too much**_

Every night, Sakura would gaze out of the window and stare blankly at the eerie moon, wondering what the raven was doing. And every night, she would listen to Sasuke's latest CD – _Sound_.

_**Why do I keep running from the truth**_

_**All I ever think about is you**_

_**You got me hypnotized**_

_**So mesmerized**_

_**And I just got to know**_

Taking a deep breath, delicate eyelids slid back to reveal tortured eyes. Her melancholy thoughts were overshadowed by her ever growing worry for the raven's welfare and Sakura could feel longing and pain well up in her chest and tighten around her heart, gripping, crushing.

_**Do you ever think when you**__**'re all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go  
Am I crazy or falling in love  
Is it real or just another crush**_

Lips parting and forming soundless words, Sakura struggled to say something, anything just to let her sorrow go, just to relieve herself of the inexplicable burden.

_**Do you catch a breath when I look at you  
Are you holding back, like the way I do  
Cuz I try and try to walk away,  
But I know this crush ain't goin away, goin away**_

_I'm sorry…__Sakura…_

_**Has it ever cross**__**ed your mind  
When we're hangin, spending time  
Are we just friends  
Is there more, is there more**_

Something vibrated in the rosette's pocket, startling her out of her thought. Delving hurriedly to retrieve her phone, Sakura flipped open the phone before answering breathlessly.

"Hello?"

Naruto's loud voice boomed from the speakers. "SAKURA! HEY!"

Sakura held the phone a bit further away from her ears before pointing out impatiently. "Naruto, I'm not deaf! Stop shouting!"

The blonde laughed heartily before continuing. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to my first gig tonight!" Sakura could practically imagine the glee plastered all over Naruto's face. "Sharingan is reuniting and we're playing at the club where Yamato sensei works in! It's going to be awesome! I mean the whole gang is going to be there! Neji, Kiba, me, Shika…just not Sasu…" Naruto's voice trailed off slightly before he recovered. "Yeah…but I mean, Gaara's agreed to help us out tonight. You know, just like old days…Sabaku."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. _Sasuke…_ Her voice caught in her throat. "I…don't know Naruto…things have been just…you know."

Naruto sighed before launching into another rant. "Please Sakura! It would mean so much to me! I mean, you haven't seen the band play in ages! Like two years! And you're going to have so much fun! Ino, Hinata, Temari, Kankuro, Lee, Shino and Tenten are going…" his voice thinned as he finished.

Sakura hung her head in defeat. "Fine fine Naruto, I'll come." A shout resembling an explosion erupted from the phone as Sakura felt her right ear become slightly deaf.

_Maybe a night __out can take my mind off things…off…Sasuke…_

_**See it's a chance we've got to take**_

_**Cuz I believe that we can make **_

_**This into something that will **_

_**Last, last forever**_

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The blonde stepped into a large room with numerous craters hanging from the ceiling. Stopping in the middle, he raised his head and laughed sadistically, hands raised palm up. Loudly, he spat out with contempt.

"Sasuke! Uchiha! Come out you coward! Just like your filthy brother!"

Fury coursed through Sasuke's veins, his blood, the same Uchiha blood that ran through his brother's veins. Was he different from his brother? Both were walking the path of destruction, elimination obstacles to achieve their goals. Was he really that different from his brother? Or were they one and the same? A flash of hurt curled around his heart. That wasn't true. Itachi was killing for his own amusement, to test his abilities. He was doing this for love, love for his clan and for justice. But was it really…was he doing this for the right reasons? Or was he doing this out of hate, out of hate for his older brother and for revenge?

The raven melted out of the shadows, eyes narrowed in fury, fists rigid and stiff beside his body. He bit out tersely, "I'm nothing, nothing like my brother."

The Akatsuki whipped around, cloak swinging around with his momentum. Shifting his right leg forward, Deidara's right hand flashed upwards and the Uchiha suddenly found himself dodging mini bombs the size of marbles.

As the tiny explosives blew up beside him, Sasuke slipped a hand into his pouch and drew out six senbons, three tucked between his fingers in each hand. He recognized, with grim satisfaction, that the bombs were earth based. The raven's lips tightened in determination as he remembered how to counteract the attack.

As the next wave of bombs was hurled at him, the raven released the thin knives. Leaping backwards, Sasuke steadied himself as he crouched on the floor, smirking when he saw the senbons pierce through the middle of the bombs, effectively disabling it and preventing an explosion.

Straightening, Sasuke drew out a sharp knife, a kunai. "You're an earth based explosives expert, aren't you?"

A cheerful voice rang out clearly behind the door. "Deidara sempai! This kid's good! He knows how to win against you!"

The blonde turned indignantly towards the speaker and all but yelled at him. "Shut up Tobi! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Tobi raised his hands in defence, backing away swiftly.

The Uchiha glared at him coldly. Another Akatsuki member. He returned his furious gaze towards his opponent. Deidara reached behind his back, pulling out a black rectangular box. As the raven looked on, the blonde leaped upwards onto a pile of boxes before bounding onto one of the craters hanging overhead. Gesturing towards his partner, Deidara opened the box. As he lifted one of his hands, Sasuke could see a black object on his palm. Deidara dragged his palm across the box and did the same with his other hand. Sasuke abandoned his kunai in favour of his katana. Unsheathing it, he flourished it before settling into a defensive stance.

"Where is Itachi Uchiha?"

The Akatsuki laughed. "That's not going to help you Uchiha!" The box fell onto the ground with a clatter.

Seething with fury at the humiliation of being ignored blatantly, Sasuke pressed, "Where is Itachi Uchiha?"

Raising both palms, Deidara thrust out his palms, sending a wave of tiny balls across the ceiling. Sasuke's eyes widened. Gunpowder…suspended in mid air? He tensed as he sensed Tobi darting around the room, occasionally stooping down onto the floor, seemingly to check for something.

The explosives expert roared with laughter. Grinning widely, he explained. "These little balls are special gunpowder and I can control and guide them with these two super magnets on my palm." Sasuke made a move to step backwards but stopped abruptly as Deidara continued. "And Tobi has just set some land mines so you're now totally surrounded. One false step and you die. You may have survived the first round, but you won't survive this one, Uchiha!"

Sasuke's mind was reeling. He had to get out of here, and fast. Glancing at the masked man, he deemed him harmless and focused on Deidara. Seeing him reach into his pocket, Sasuke flung the katana against the wall. As the Akatsuki drew out a lighter, Deidara flicked the switch, watching as the flame flickered in the light.

"This ends here Uchiha. It was fun while it lasted." And with that, he tossed the lighter towards the gunpowder casually.

_I have to move…now!_

Performing a back flip, Sasuke leapt onto his katana as the place where he previously occupied exploded with tremendous force, sending dust and dirt flying everywhere, obscuring everyone's view momentarily. In the midst of chaos and confusion, Sasuke sprang upwards using the sword's momentum and slashed across the blonde's front with his kunai. Shock was written all over the blonde's face as he fell backwards onto the ground, setting off the landmines as Sasuke landed safely on the crater.

Tobi's screams of "Deidara sempai!" were drowned out by the explosion as the blonde was swallowed by a gigantic fireball. Breathing heavily, Sasuke sat on the crater, feeling slightly stunned. Was it over? It just seemed too easy…too fast and yet…he had not learned the location of his older brother. Was it truly…over?

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**And I'll stop here! Yes! Ah, it's shorter, oh well XD bear with me =3 sooo, today's editor is…**

**.com/lightangelsakurax2**

**Lol, really cool editor XD and from Puerto Rico! Wow, like mightu is from Poland, syllver from Canada, killerchan from USA and I'm from HK. Awesome variety! Lol, stay tuned till next time!**


	19. Archers

**Don't own Naruto or The Archer's Bows are Broken by Brand New.**

**Wow, this chapter and the previous one was so hard to write considering I'm trying to follow the manga without Deidara and Sasuke using chakra or C2 explosives and stuff . I really want to get this over and move on to Itachi!!!! *dances around* Itachi! Itachi! *cough* yeah anyway, here you go. And yes, some are exact quotes from the manga. **

**Archers**

"Shut the hell up already Tobi, yeah?!"

Sasuke looked down wearily as the smoke cleared, leaving a bruised but otherwise alive Deidara crouched defensively in the centre of the room. Onyx eyes glinted with a tint of steel.

"He just won't give up, will he?" mused the Uchiha.

Glaring upwards, the Akatsuki leapt backwards. _Those eyes. The same eyes as his brother. Itachi Uchiha._ The blonde narrowed his eyes slightly. _He looks down on me, that arrogant punk. What a joke! I'm the superior shinobi…my abilities have no flaw. Artistic perfection that loses to no one!_

Heaving with emotion, the blonde pointed at Sasuke and vented, "I'm superior to you…there's no way I'll lose!" Clutching at the gaping wound on his arm, he whispered, "Not to…not to…"

The Uchiha sneered at the Akatsuki. "You're pathetic," he breathed. Jumping down and landing softly onto the ground, he assessed his opponent. "Now," he pressed, "where is Itachi Uchiha? Where is my bastard of a brother?"

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"SAKURA CHAN!"

The rosette looked up just in time to be tackled by a yellow blur. Shoving the hyperactive blonde of her, she gasped for air before hitting him on the head. Hard.

Naruto clutched his head in pain and glanced at the girl, whining. "Hey! What was that for???"

Sakura grabbed the boy by the arm. "Stop being a baby, Naruto." Smiling at him, she continued, "Let's go before you're late for your gig."

A calm voice levelled behind her. "Nice hit."

Whirling around, Sakura nearly broke her nose against a certain redhead's chest. Taking a hesitant step backwards, she looked up in surprise.

"Gaara!"

The man ruffled his unruly hair. Smiling warmly, he regarded Sakura with affection. He nodded slightly, "It's been awhile."

Laughing, she punched Gaara playfully on the shoulder before sauntering off in the direction of the club. "I hope you've still got the flair when it comes to singing, Gaara."

The redhead's eyes narrowed as a smirk crossed his face. "Ah," he conceded, "a challenge." Glancing at his band mate, he growled playfully, "I like that."

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_Those eyes…those eyes that look down on my art…those hateful eyes…_

Deidara's hand slipped towards the buttoning of his cloak. Glancing sharply at his partner, he barked out, "Tobi! Get out of here!"

Sasuke stared at him unperturbed. Pulling out a kunai, he stepped forwards menacingly. Twirling it expertly, he pointed the weapon at the blonde. "Tell me! Tell me where he is!" The Uchiha's eyes were narrow with anger as he glared at the Akatsuki member.

The blonde however, threw back his head and roared with laughter. Ripping apart the buttons on his cloak, he threw the cloak onto the floor as Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.

Gesturing wildly with his hands, Deidara bowed mockingly at the raven. "This is C4 Garuda!" he screamed.

Strapped across his chest were the infamous C4 Garuda explosives. There were eight packs bound together, which was enough to blow up the whole warehouse, well, more like vaporise. This was not good.

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Gaara stepped up to the mike and cleared his throat lightly. Softly, he glanced at Sakura before saying, "Welcome to Sharingan's first ever live gig. I hope you enjoy our music."

The rapid beating of the drums started as the bass slowly drifted in. Both Naruto and Gaara leaned in towards their microphones as they started to sing.

_**Who do you carry the torch for, my young man?  
Do you believe in anything?  
Do you carry it around just to burn things down?**_

_Turned out he had torched the whole compound as well…_

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat.

_**What did you learn tonight?  
you're shouting so loud you barely enjoy this broken thing  
you're a voice that never sings, is what I say  
You were freezing over hell  
You were bringing on the end, you do so well  
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say**_

_You can only blame yourself…_

A hand clamped down onto the girl's shoulders, scaring her out of her wits. Whirling around, she stared in surprise at the visitor. The jounin scratched the back of his head nervously and laughed, "I guess I'm late, aren't I?"

"Kakashi!"

The silver haired man chuckled as he folded his arms decisively. "Yep, I'm late," he confessed. Grinning from behind his mask, Kakashi muttered a hasty apology. "So, how's Naruto doing for his first gig?" he stared at Sakura pointedly.

"Not too bad actually," Sakura countered in defense of her friend. The man lifted his arms in protest and backed away in mock surprise. "I wasn't, you know, implying anything Sakura," he teased. "Why would I do that?"

The rosette rolled her eyes at the man's cheerfulness. A soft vibration hummed beside her. Kakashi glanced at her apologetically as he withdrew his phone from his pocket. Nodding at the girl, the jounin turned around slightly and stuck his finger into his other ear to block out the music.

"Hello?"

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_Oh shit…_

Deidara's eyes were bulging madly. Seething with fury, he screamed out, "This is it, Sasuke Uchiha!" Finger hovering over the detonation button, he flung both arms outwards and laughed madly.

The raven glanced around frantically. This was not good, in fact, it was a total nightmare. An orange blur streaked towards his left. Sasuke looked up and saw Tobi trying to escape through the door. With his infamous speed, the Uchiha let loose the kunai in his hand. The weapon buried itself in the Akatsuki's neck, severing the spine and effectively killing him instantly.

"This was meant to kill your damn brother," the blonde smiled sadistically, "but I guess I can settle for second best!" He leered at the younger Uchiha as Sasuke ran towards the window rather than the door. "You're not going to survive this, Uchiha!" Deidara roared as he jammed his finger down.

The warehouse exploded outwards, shattered glass and concrete flying everywhere as a giant fire ball engulfed the whole place.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he was flung against the glass windows. His back cracked against it and he smashed through, before falling down three storeys into the torrent waters of the violent sea.

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"What?!"

The silver haired man's eyes were wide. Glancing at Sakura, he beckoned at her before turning his attention back towards the conversation.

He muttered a swift "I hope you know what you're doing" before snapping the phone shut. Gazing wearily at Sakura, he tilted his head towards Naruto. Sighing, he explained, "I just got a tip from the jounin working for the ANBU, and since Naruto's busy, you're coming with me." He closed his eyes, "He says he's found Sasuke's location."

_Sasuke…Uchiha…_

Sakura gasped.

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_I'm falling…falling into the darkness…_

With arms outstretched, Sasuke's eyes blurred as he sank down slowly, the dark waters swallowing him up. Gagging slightly, he gazed upwards blankly.

_It's..._

_Not…_

_Over…_

Onyx eyes sprang open with renewed determination and vigour. _It's not over…_Thrusting his legs downwards, he propelled his tired body upwards, arms clawing for the surface of the water.

_It's not over…Itachi Uchiha._

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**Wow, an awesome twist next chapter XDXD and I never actually understood what Free Indirect Discourse was until today when the teacher explained it. It seems that my fanfics are written in FID lol from Sasuke's POV, oh the irony.**

**Ah yesh, a song I'm currently into, it's called Don't Trust Me but we peeps like to call it Don't Trust a Hoe**

**.com/watch?v=O5JFdJkBLUI&feature=channel_page**

**LMAO, finally! It's Already Over is now the longest story I've written XD longer than The Next Generation =3 I really like writing this story XD I feel like I'm improving slowly XD but I honestly should concentrate on editing, it after all is my life. Yep, editing is my life XD**

**.com/killerkunoichi**** (a very very good friend of mine)**


	20. Could This Be Out Of Line?

**Don't own Naruto**** or the song So Contagious by Acceptance**

**Could This Be Out of Line?**

He broke through the surface, gasping desperately for air. Bobbing on the dark waters, the raven turned towards the warehouse. Gritting his teeth, he snarled as the salt water stung as his wounds.

_What a waste of time…_

Paddling gingerly back to the dock, onyx eyes glanced at the warehouse again. There was a gaping hole at the side with black burn marks streaked across the walls. Smoke was pouring out and Sasuke could hear the faint echoes of sirens. Eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance, the Uchiha planted both hands onto the edge of the dock and hoisted himself up.

Brushing the stray strands of black hair from his eyes, he ripped apart his soaked shirt and crumpled it into a small ball. Tossing it casually into the sea, Sasuke started to limp away from the scene of crime as the sirens grew louder. A dark look clouded his face as he struggled to come up with new leads as to where Itachi was.

_Damn it, now I'm back at square one!_

Slipping into the shadows of the alley, the siren lights from the passing police cars threw his features into disarray. Pausing slightly, he slammed a fist against the wall, cursing himself mentally.

_What now? It's hopeless. At his rate, I'll never catch Itachi._

Sasuke could practically taste the bitterness of defeat in his tongue. Squeezing his eyes shut in frustration, the Uchiha could feel the cool water droplets slide down his back slowly. Raising a hand to his face, he dragged it across, brushing the water from his chiselled features. His head snapped up as footsteps sounded, nearer and nearer.

_Time to run Sasuke, time to run._

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The silver car sped down the highway at 150 miles per hour. The silver haired man's grip tightened around the steering wheel, eyes darting around frantically. Suddenly, he wrenched the wheel to the left, causing the car to skid along the road before righting itself and turning the corner. Eyebrows knitted together in confusion and anxiety, Kakashi glanced at the rosette next to him.

_I hope you know what you're doing before this all backfires straight into our faces._

Abruptly, the jounin stepped down on the brakes and the car jolted to a stop. Peering out of the window, Kakashi's eyes were narrowed with worry. Hurriedly, he opened the door and stepped out as Sakura mirrored his movements.

"Come on," he whispered in a husky voice.

Sakura licked her lips nervously as she stared at the glowing neon sign of the nightclub. Turning around to face Kakashi, the eerie glow threw shadows across her face, making it hard for the man to register the expression on her face.

"I…," the silver haired man cleared his throat and tried again, "I'm sure this is the place."

A chilling click sent shivers down Kakashi's spine as the touch of cool metal wormed its way from his temple to his heart. A gasp escaped Sakura's lips as someone's hand descended upon her shoulder in a death grip.

"That's right Kakashi." A cool voice breathed, words tinged with malice. The jonin's eyes were wide, fear and surprise swimming in his eyes.

"It…can't be!" He choked out. Sakura was rooted to the spot, body tense with fear. Who was it that could scare the ex ANBU captain so much?

A low chuckle rumbled from the attacker's chest as he nudged the muzzle of the gun harder against Kakashi's head.

"That's why, Kakashi, you should never trust anybody. Appearances and preconceptions are never reliable, you know?"

Stepping out from the alley shadows, Itachi stared impassively at the duo. "That's why I was always the better one when it came down to missions," he pointed out blandly.

Raising a hand, the rogue cop hit the base of Kakashi's neck and watched disinterestedly as the man crumpled into a heap of the ground. Swivelling around, Itachi pointed the gun at Sakura.

Slowly, he murmured, "Sakura Haruno..." It was more of a statement rather than a question but Sakura didn't really care. All she wanted was to get away from the Uchiha. Backing away slowly, she snuck a glance at Kakashi, heart pounding heavily against her rising chest.

The Uchiha did not move but instead stared at her, curiosity lingering in his eyes. According to his sources, this was the girl Sasuke was involuntarily attracted to. What was so special about this girl? Why was his brother so uncannily attracted to her? Itachi did not deny it. Yes, Haruno was a pretty creature, but then again, she wasn't the most beautiful female that he had ever laid eyes on. Considering Sasuke's celebrity status as SharinganWarrior and as one of the most handsome Uchihas, he had the potential to find a better girl.

Raising a finger, he cocked the gun. The rosette continued to sidle away from the Akatsuki member, defiance burning in her emerald eyes like a flickering flame. The corner of Itachi's lips twitched upwards briefly. So that was it, wasn't it Sasuke? Itachi could see that the girl wasn't easily cowed or stupid either. She was formulating a plan to escape, and she was planning to distract the Uchiha. But Itachi wasn't seen as the prodigy genius of the infamous Uchiha clan for nothing. He could see the girl's hand pressed against the wall, feeling for the little ridge which signified the break in the alley, where another alley crossed with it.

Although Itachi's voice was soft, it also held a steely edge in it as he surveyed the girl coolly. "Don't move, or else I'll shoot you right here and now." Sakura's eyes darted towards the alley break and the night club hesitantly. A smile broke across the man's face.

"Bullets can outrun you Haruno, and I doubt that the people in the nightclub can hear you." Itachi gestured at the silencer. "There's no running now," his tone was light but his eyes hardened as he continued. "You're coming with me."

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Sasuke was exhausted. Slumping against the seat in his car, he leaned back and closed his eyes. The raven's breathing gradually slowed to a steady pace. Tense shoulders slowly loosened and relaxed yet his muscular torso still showed the wariness of someone who had lived a life of torment for too long.

But the peaceful atmosphere was shattered once again. Eyes snapping open immediately, Sasuke's hands were raised in front of his chest and face in a defensive stance as if expecting an attack. Chest heaving with anticipation, it took a minute for the Uchiha to register that nobody was attacking him, but instead his phone was ringing.

However, as the raven extracted his phone from his pocket, he found that it was broken from the impact when he fell into the sea, yet there was still something ringing. Startled, Sasuke's eyes swept across the dashboard and landed on the red, flashing phone symbol.

_Of course, the car's built in phone system._

His forehead creased and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

_This is my personal line, only Uchihas have it, not even Kakashi has it…_

Realization hit him hard.

_Uchihas have it... Itachi Uchiha…_

Sasuke lunged for the answer button. The caller's voice filled the whole car. Onyx eyes froze with fear.

"Hello Sasuke."

The raven's body was shaking, his breath hitched in his throat. Lips formed soundless words before he managed to whisper, "Itachi."

An insane chuckle sounded. "Foolish little brother, let's end what I started so long ago, shall we? I have your girl friend with me, so 11 tonight at the Uchiha shrine." The speaker sounded quite amused as he continued, "Oh, by the way Sasuke, could this be out of line?"

A click signified that the elder Uchiha had hung up.

_**This couldn't be more unexpected…**_

Sweat poured down Sasuke's face as his eyes glazed over, unfocused.

_**Could this be out of line? Could this be out of line?  
To say you're the only one breaking me down like this  
**_

Tremors rocked the younger sibling's body. His fist tightened into balls, knuckle white with fury.

_**You're the only one I would take a shot on  
Keep me hanging on so contagiously**_

_Sakura…_

Sasuke's fist pounded against the dashboard. Choking noises emitted from his throat. Itachi had taken another precious thing from him, and this time, he had pushed Sasuke over the edge, exploiting haunted memories.

Tears slowly leaked from the corner of his eyes.

_Could this be out of line?_

One simple question using the lyrics from one of Sasuke's first ever song, written just before the Uchiha Massacre, left the younger Uchiha nothing but a broken man.

**Major twist!!! Oh I love this chapter XDXD**


	21. Don't Trust Me

**Yareyare, gomen nasai! I know I haven't updated since uh 2 months ago? But I had to start studying for my Grade 11 finals during Easter and my finals started at the beginning of May and didn't end till mid June. I wasn't planning on updating till September but then the idea of being shot by my precious few readers was definitely not quite appealing, so here we are. I hope that you like this chapter and I'm hoping to end this story in the next 2 or 3 chapters =3**

**Don't Trust Me**

The door slid open slowly and quietly. Inching forwards tentatively, the shadowy figure fingered the blade nestled at his wrist. The room was pitch black and there was the lingering smell of age old blood, blood spilt eight years ago when one of the Uchiha clan members decided to go on a killing spree.

The man moved forwards slightly, his heart racing as he licked his dry lips and berated himself. The only way to succeed in avenging his clan and saving Sakura was to stay calm and assess the situation carefully, yet here he was, panicking like some amateur. Taking a deep breath, he reeled in his emotions and padded towards the end of the hallway with practiced silence, hoping that he was not too late.

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Eyes narrowing as they adjusted to the light, they proceeded to widen as Sasuke took in the scene before him.

Itachi's hand was outstretched and his gun trailed along Sakura's spine as his other hand stroked the rosette's cheek lightly, caressing it lovingly. Turning an amused gaze towards his little brother, the corner of the Uchiha's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as he spotted the outraged look on Sasuke's face.

"You know what to do Sasuke."

The raven clenched his fists in anger as he attempted to smother his facial expression, knowing that Itachi was enjoying every second of his discomfort. Lowering his hands slowly, his hands relaxed and the blade slipped downwards, clattering onto the floor.

Onyx eyes flashed dangerously and Itachi could swear that there was a tinge of red, blood red, in those eyes. Sasuke took a hesitant step forward. He did not know what to do. If he attempted to engage Itachi, he knew that Sakura would die before he could even get within a twenty feet radius of the duo. Sasuke felt his body tense as Itachi also stepped forwards with Sakura.

Lowering his gun, the elder Uchiha slipped it into his pocket and shoved the bound girl down the small flight of stairs before following after her. Itachi shot his sibling a warning glance as Sasuke tried to run to Sakura's aid. Halting in his tracks, Sasuke could feel his blood boil as he watched Sakura's face contort in pain and let out a small cry. Shaking hands balled once again into fists as he snarled, "What do you want, Itachi?" He was losing his control over his raging emotions and it took all of his willpower to suppress the urge to just run blindly towards the cloaked man and strangle him. "Let her go! I'm here, aren't I? Just…just…let her go! Damn you Itachi!"

Calculated eyes ran over Sasuke's body, taking in his stance. Lifting his leg, Itachi pinned the girl on the ground and stared coldly at the other man. "It's been too long Sasuke. Why don't we settle things now?" Pressing his foot down slightly, Itachi allowed a smirk to grace his chiseled features as the girl's cry of pain succeeded in causing a flash of panic to flit across Sasuke's face.

"And after I defeat you Sasuke," Itachi leaned forwards, "I'm going to rape your little _cherry blossom_ in front of your eyes before I kill you."

Sasuke's face was emotionless but Itachi could see his emotions conflicting with one another. Pain, anger, hatred, helplessness…all swirling around in those eyes. Easing himself off Sakura, Itachi unclipped his cloak slowly, button by button, and allowed it to slide off his muscular torso and fall onto the floor in a heap.

Stepping forwards, he threw back his head and laughed, eyes wide with insanity. "Come Sasuke!' he screamed, "Let's finish what was started eight years ago!"

Sasuke streaked forwards without hesitation. Delivering a crashing blow to Itachi's head, he winced as his foot connected with Itachi's outstretched palm. The elder Uchiha's hand closed around his foot and turning around, he swung Sasuke around before letting go, causing Sasuke to smash against the wall.

Kneeling down, Sasuke extracted a smaller blade from his boot and shot forward once more. At the last minute, he slid across the floor, legs outstretched and tackled Itachi, causing both of them to fall. Slashing across, Sasuke growled with annoyance as Itachi flipped backwards before mirroring his movements.

Itachi was panting slightly, sweat beading his forehead. Straightening up, he tried to deliver a round house kick to Sasuke's head but found his attack blocked with his opponent's blade. Flinching as he then lifted his other leg and trapped Sasuke's hand, he pulled and flung Sasuke across the room. A clatter echoed across the room. Itachi glanced behind him and saw that he had dropped his gun. However, his attempt to recover it was foiled as Sasuke once again slashed with his knife.

Shifting backwards, Itachi grimaced before clapping a hand over his mouth. Blood leaked out from between his fingers as coughs racked his body. Sasuke recoiled in shock for an instance before taking the opportunity to launch another flurry of attacks.

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He woke up with blurry vision as he tried to remember why he was laying on the cold ground. Massaging his temples, the silver haired jonin sat up slowly. Suddenly he looked up, eyes widening as memories of Sakura and Itachi flooded back into his mind. Ripping open his pouch, he extracted his mobile and dialed a number.

"It's Kakashi. I need you to send a squad of ANBU to the Uchiha hideout. Now."

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A grunt sounded from the raven's lips as he crashed onto the floor heavily. In a flash, Itachi was on top of him, pinning the raven to the ground. Sasuke fought the urge to black out as he heard the crunch of bones breaking and felt the excruciating pain ripple across his body when Itachi knelt on his arm. His good arm jerked around as he tried to free himself.

Itachi faltered slightly but leaned downwards and whispered into his ear. "You know what Sasuke? You never stood a chance of beating me." Grinning sadistically, he continued, "That's because…you don't have enough hate. And you never will, because there won't _be_ a next time.

Itachi glanced over at Sakura before returning his gaze to Sasuke. Standing up, he made his way over to Sakura. "Now Sasuke, maybe I can have a little fun now."

Sasuke could not move. This could not be happening. It was not supposed to end this way. He had to protect Sakura. All those years of training and nothing had changed. He was still losing. As Itachi started to remove Sakura's clothes, Sasuke snapped.

"Get your fucking hands off her!"

His eyes were wild with desperation and he was shaking. Itachi ignored him and continued. Struggling to crawl over to the duo, Sasuke could feel a lump in his throat.

"Itachi!" his voice faltered. "Stop! Please…"

Itachi looked up from the girl as he heard Sasuke's voice crack. Sasuke had finally cracked. A broken man looked up, eyes brimming with tears that slowly spilled over down his face.

"So this is the proud Sasuke Uchiha," murmured the Akatsuki. Striding over towards his fallen opponent, Itachi took out a knife.

Sasuke's eyes widened as his fingers curled around something. Using all of his remaining strength, Sasuke jerked his arm upwards. A shot rang out like an explosion. Itachi was thrown backwards, a bloody trail trailing in front of him.

Chest heaving, Sasuke gasped for breath as he stumbled to his feet. Shuffling forwards, left arm hanging limply at his side, he stared down at the bloody body of his brother, staring at the bullet hole between Itachi's eyes. Raising his hand once more, he emptied the gun's rounds. The gun which Itachi had dropped earlier.

For what seemed like an eternity, Sasuke stood frozen over his brother's corpse before allowing his hand to relax. He turned and made his way painfully over to Sakura.

Untying her, he removed his shirt and draped it over her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

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	22. It's Already Over

**Don't own Naruto . how many times do I have to write this again?**

**It's Already Over**

"_I'm sorry"_

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Sakura clung onto the Uchiha's arms, clearly shaken. "Sasuke…" He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. Eyes swimming with relief, he gathered her fragile body in his arms and cradled her against his warm chest. Tears flowed freely from the corner of Sakura's eyes as she buried her head into Sasuke's chest.

Onyx eyes softened at the sight. Moving slowly towards the door, Sasuke bent his knees slightly to retrieve the empty gun. Grunting with the effort, Sasuke smirked as Sakura smiled a genuine smile. All the unspoken words gleamed in his eyes and as the rosette looked up into them, she nodded in understanding. She knew that he loved one her, and that despite all the obstacles they had to overcome, the whole ordeal was finally over. She could finally be with him.

Sasuke stiffened slightly as he contemplated what was running through Sakura's mind. He knew that despite killing Itachi, _he_ could not stay with Sakura. It was _his_ fault and he knew that he would once again break her heart by leaving. Sasuke had to run from the police and he would not endanger Sakura by bringing her along. But he knew that she would follow him regardless of what happened. Closing his eyes briefly, he inhaled. He knew what he to do next. Glancing down at Sakura, he smiled gently to reassure her.

_Gomen nasai…Sakura_

The doors burst open. A squadron of ANBU led by Kakashi burst in and surrounded the two teenagers. Sasuke smiled. Perfect timing.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are under arrest for the murder of Itachi Uchiha. You have the right to remain silent…"

Sasuke ignored the ANBU and took a step backwards.

"Freeze! Let go of the hostage Uchiha!"

A vein throbbed dangerously on the Uchiha's forehead. Setting Sakura on her feet, he whispered, "Don't turn around Sakura," before taking a step backwards, gun still dangling from his fingers.

Raising it slowly so that it pointed at Sakura's head, his finger hovered over the trigger. A shot rang out, echoing across the room again. Sakura's head whipped around just to see Sasuke stumble backwards, blood dripping from his abdomen. He raised the gun again.

Everything then seemed to happen in slow motion. Sakura was screaming at the ANBU to stop, that he would not hurt her, that the gun was empty. Another shot rang out as Sasuke's head snapped backwards.

Her screams fell on deaf ears and all she could do was to watch as Sasuke sank to the ground, lifeless.

_Perfect timing…_

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The jonin ran a hand through his silver locks. He ambled slowly over through the doors of the morgue and made his way towards the rosette.

"Sakura!" Kakashi sprinted after the girl. Wrapping his arms around her body, he struggled to prevent her from smashing through the doors of the morgue. "Stop it. Stop it Sakura," he cried urgently. Breathing heavily, he felt the girl stop struggling and give in to her exhaustion and despair. Sobs racked her delicate body and all he could do was hug her, praying that she would calm down.

"Come on," he murmured gently. Slowly, he escorted the girl out of the building.

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_You never go_

_You're always here_

_Suffocating me…_

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi started in a low voice. "I…guess I owe you an explanation, Sakura."

_Under my skin, I cannot run away._

_Fading slowly…_

"How to start?" He scratched his head before continuing, "Sakura, eight years ago, the Uchiha clan wanted to sell weapons to other…hostile countries who wanted to invade ours. I was the police agent who was in charge of monitoring the situation. Unfortunately, I was injured on patrol duty." Kakashi gestured towards his scar.

_I'd get it onto you_

_Letting go of me_

_Reaching as I fall_

_I know it's already over now_

Sakura whispered, "But I thought…that Itachi…"

_Nothing left to lose_

_Loving you again_

_I know it's already over_

_Already over now_

Kakashi nodded apologetically, "Yeah, it was part of a cover up. Itachi was in fact, my replacement." He sighed. "Itachi hated violence and the thought of war between countries horrified him... That is, except for Sasuke. The government assigned him a mission. That mission…was the eradication of the entire Uchiha clan. It was a mission to become known as a criminal who murdered his own clan, bear the disgrace and become a rogue shinobi. Eventually, he even joined Akatsuki as an undercover agent."

_My best defen__se_

_Running from you_

"Itachi killed his friends, his superiors, his lovers, his father and mother. But his little brother alone…he could not kill. He killed all of his own emotions, save for crying tears of blood and slaughtered his own flesh and blood for the sake of his country. But he just couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke."

_I can't resist_

_Take all you want from me  
Breaking slowly…  
_

"To him, Sasuke's life was more precious than even his country."

_Loving you again  
I know it's already over__…_

For the peace of his country, and most of all for Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi desired to die a criminal and a traitor, accepted disgrace in place of honour…and hate in the place of love, even then Itachi died smiling…"

_Sasuke… it's already over…_

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**There we go! Finally finished! *stoned* Yareyare, I know…no happy ending, gomen nasai. And yeah, I got a bit bored and sloppy at the end so sorry as well =3 Just to say:**

**Sasuke's death was taken from the movie, New Police Story**

**Kakashi's speech was actually spoken by Madara in the manga and is taken from the official translation of the manga by Viz Media**

**So…yeah no copyright infringement intended!**


	23. Epilogue

**Something In Me Was Dying**

_**Something in me was dying  
And my heart was heavy as stone  
Hard as I was trying  
I never could find, find my way home**_

And your voice came out of nowhere  
Be my friend and give me your hand  
Let's take off together  
And then we can live wherever we land

Something in me was broken  
And my thoughts were bitter and ill  
My world was blown open  
And I couldn't see and i couldn't feel  
You said be yourself and think of me  
And you'll know there's nothing to fear  
Let's make plans together  
It's time to move on and get out of here

Girl i need you  
Don't know what I would do  
Will you see the story through  
It's a cruel world  
And I need somewhere to hide  
But time goes by  
And your still on my side

Something in me was sinking  
Cause my heart was heavy as stone  
I gave up with thinking  
I never would find, find my way home  
And your voice came out of nowhere  
Be my friend and give me your hand  
Let's take off together  
And then we can live wherever we land

Girl I need you  
Don't know what i would do  
Will you see the story through  
It's a cruel world  
And I need somewhere to hide  
The time goes by and your still on my side

Waiting  
Searching  
Turning over  
Running round in circles  
And I've worn myself out  
Hoping that we'll always be together  
Yeah we'll always be together  


_Keep me in your memory, Sakura…_

I ended the story I know but when I heard this song, I couldn't resist, such a beautiful song by Keane 3


End file.
